Have you ever been to a golf tournament? If not, you should take the time to go! They are extremely fun and very different than your average sporting event. Golf tournaments seem very boring to the average person that is used to watching basketball or football. Football and basketball are definitely faster pace than golf. But little do people know, there is so much skill that goes into golf. Just ask golf extraordinaire, Tiger Woods. Tiger has made golf the trendiest sport in America. Everyone wants to get in on the act. Everyone wants to know what it’s all about. Well that’s why you should take time to find out about golf and experience whatever else is saying about it.

Golf tournaments can be fun to participate in if you are a semi-experienced golfer. One great feature of the tournament is all the golf prizes and golf gifts you can get for participating. The best golf gift of them all is the hole-in-one insurance. Hole-in-one insurance is great because if you hit a hole-in-one, you can win a fabulous prize. Golf prizes can range from a variety of things such as golf tournament merchandise like t-shirts, hats, gloves, tees and anything else that would help a golfer look his/her best on the range. They even have tournament tea bags! Yes, tournament tea bags so while you sip you tea, you can remember the tournament you’re participating in! Golf tournament merchandise is the best golf prize to get because it will show your participation in the event and will create lasting memories of your experience golfing.

Have you ever golfed before? No? Then seek to take lessons at your nearest driving range. Golf is a great sport to take up because you can use all kinds of muscles in your body. Notice how many golfers are extremely fit and trim? That’s because they have to use so many muscles in their body to create the perfect swing and to make sure their game is great. Many golf pros workout daily and focus on their arm and back muscles, all muscles used in making sure they have a great swing.

Golfing is a wonderful past-time and if you have not watched a golf tournament on TV, please do yourself a favor and watch. There’s probably a range very close to your home! Who knows, you may just be the next Tiger!

Salem Hassan
http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/golf-the-new-pasttime-698051.html

There are two different types of charges for drunk driving cases in the state of Maryland. They are based on the amount you have had to drink and they vary in severity of consequences.

You will be charged with driving under the influence (DUI) if your blood alcohol level (BAC) is .08 or greater. You will be charged with driving while impaired (DWI) if your BAC is at a level of .07.

When the police suspect you have been drinking, they will ask you to perform a field sobriety test to assess your reaction time, coordination, and reflexes. During this test, they will also evaluate you for other signs of intoxication, including:

· Slurred speech

· Watery eyes

· Scent of alcohol on breath

You will also be given a breathalyzer test to verify your BAC. Refusal to take a breath test comes with severe consequences. Your driver’s license will be suspended for a mandatory 120 day period, and your refusal to submit to the test will be used against you in court as an admission of guilt.

Consequences

In Maryland, the consequences for DUI and DWI vary in degree. For a DUI conviction, you will receive:

· Maximum $1,000 fine

· Up to one year in jail

· 45 day suspension of your license

· 12 points on your license

For a DWI conviction, you will receive:

· Maximum $500 fine

· Up to 60 days in jail

· Maximum 60 day suspension of your license

· 8 points on your driver’s license

Your insurance company will most likely take one of two actions when they are notified of your conviction. They will either drastically raise your rates or they will cancel your policy.

You Don’t Have to Lose Your License

The state of Maryland offers you a chance to appeal the suspension of your driver’s license. However, the police rarely inform you of this right and time is of the essence when appealing your suspension.

You have ten days to ask for a hearing with the Motor Vehicle Administration. Hiring an experienced DUI attorney will greatly help you at this hearing. It is not advisable to defend yourself. If you don’t file for your hearing within the allotted ten day time frame, your license will automatically be suspended.

Other Implications of your DUI

Your DUI conviction can affect your entire life. Your conviction will stay on your record for the rest of your life. Depending on your occupation, you may have trouble with employment. If you work in education, government, or medicine, you may lose your job. Furthermore, your DUI could prevent you from getting hired in these fields at a later date.

The best way to minimize the damage done by a DUI is to hire an attorney to represent you. Lawyers who specialize in DUI cases will know how to pick apart the evidence against you to help reduce your sentence. Considering the widespread impact on your life, you can’t afford to pass up this assistance.

Patricia Woloch

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Chapter 12 DWI Lawyer Bob Keefer: DUI Guilt Myth

CHAPTER 12

“WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAW IN MY STATE?”

—DUI LAW IN VIRGINIA

Differences in DUI Law in Virginia from Other States

The Virginia legal system for DUI’s has several notable differences from other state these major differences will be outlined below.

DWI and DUI in Virginia are the Exact Same Offense

In most states there is a difference between DW I, “driving while intoxicated” and DUI, “driving under the influence.” For an example, in most states driving while intoxicated is a more serious offense than driving under the influence. Other states have even a third finding available such as operating while impaired or OWI.

In Virginia, there is no difference between DUI and DWI. Virginia Code Section 18.2-266 makes it illegal to drive while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

The Virginia Code defines intoxicated as follows: “‘Intoxicated’ means a condition in which a person has drunk enough alcoholic beverages to observably affect his manner, disposition, speech, muscular movement, general appearance or behavior.”

Blood Alcohol Content (“BAC”) relates to BAC While Driving

Another difference from many states is that Virginia looks at the blood alcohol content (“BAC”) while driving. Other states will base their legal limit on the BAC at the time of the taking of the breath or blood sample. The distinction is that Virginia motorists are able to present evidence that their BAC while driving was lower than the subsequent blood or breath test.

Under Virginia DUI law, anyone driving on the highways of Virginia has, according to Virginia’s implied consent law, given their “consent” to a breath or blood tests if they are arrested for DUI. If this test results is a .08 or above, there are are significant effects in the prosecution of one’s case. One way of proving DUI, known as the “per se” law, looks at nothing but the breath result. If it is .08 or above, the person is guilty of DUI; if it is below .08, the person is not guilty of DUI. However, since Virginia looks at the BAC at the time of driving, the defendant still has the ability to present expert testimony that his BAC while driving was in fact less than a .08.

Similarly, another way of proving DUI, looks at the .08 or higher breath result as one of the pieces of evidence in the overall trial. Although the statute says that if the BAC is .08 or above, there is a “presumption” of intoxication, the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled in 2007 that such presumptions are an unconstitutional infringement upon the Constitutional guarantee of the presumption of innocence in any criminal trial unless the language is interpreted to mean that there is not a mandatory presumption of intoxication. The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled that the courts must interpret the words “shall be presumed” to mean “may be inferred.” Thus, in a DUI prosecution under this section, the judge may infer (but is no longer required to presume) that someone is intoxicated if the prosecutor proves that they were a .08 or above while driving. Again, the defendant may present evidence that in fact his actual BAC while driving was below a .08 or that the results should not be given much weight because of issues with the machine or manner of testing. If the defendant is able to do this, then the judge may not make any inference based on the breath result.

Right to New Trial on Appeal to Circuit Court- Trial de Novo

General District Court, most commonly referred to as “traffic court” for DUI defendants, is the lower of the two trial courts in Virginia. There are no jury trials at the General District Court level. Doesn’t the Constitution of the United States guarantee a criminal defendant the right to a trial by jury? Yes.

Virginia grants anyone convicted in General District Court what is called a “trial de novo” on appeal to the higher trial level court in Virginia, known as the Circuit Court. Thus, any DUI defendant in Virginia who is unhappy with the judge’s ruling or sentence in the General District Court, has the ability to appeal to the Circuit Court and as soon as the appeal is noted, the conviction of the lower court is completely wiped off his record. I like to tell my clients that it is just like taking an eraser to a blackboard, and the client is in the exact same position that they were prior to the first trial (i.e. they are presumed to be innocent and have not been convicted of DUI.) Or, to use a golf analogy, Virginia allows all DUI clients a “Mulligan” on their first DUI trial!

The trial courts rule on both fines and jail time and license suspension issues

In many states, a DUI charge leads to two separate trials. The trial in court in front of a judge who determines whether someone is guilty and what fine and/or jail time someone receives, and in administrative license hearing in front of that state’s Division of Motor Vehicles. Virginia does not have a separate hearing for the determination of the status of someone’s driver’s license. By statute, the judge has to suspend the person’s license for a specific time based on whether this is a first or subsequent offense. The judge has the authority to grant a Restricted License allowing the person to drive to work, school, alcohol education classes and certain medical and family driving.

Virginia DUI Penalties

Administrative License Suspension (ALS)

For a first DUI offense and/or breath test refusal, your driver’s license will be automatically suspended for seven days if your BAC is 0.08 percent or higher.

For a second DUI offense and/or breath test refusal, your license will be automatically suspended for 60 days or until you go to trial, which ever comes first.

For a third DUI offense and/or breath test refusal, your license will be automatically suspended until you go to trial. Conviction of a DUI offense will result in suspension of your driver’s license and other penalties in addition to the administrative suspension.

First Offense – Penalties

i) BAC < .15

Class 1 misdemeanor (Up to $2,500 fine and 12 months in jail) with a mandatory minimum fine of $250.

ii) BAC .15 to .20

If the person’s blood alcohol level as indicated by the chemical test administered as provided in this article was at least 0.15, but not more than 0.20, he shall be confined in jail for an additional mandatory minimum period of 5 days or,

iii) BAC > .20

if the BAC level was more than 0.20, he shall be confined in jail for an additional mandatory minimum period of 10 days.

License Suspension

License revoked for 1 year. Eligible for immediate Restricted Operator’s License. Ignition Interlock required for BAC of .15 or above.

Second Offense – Penalties

A) Committed within less than 5 years from a prior offense

• Minimum $500 fine

• Confinement in Jail for one month to one year. 20 day mandatory minimum jail sentence.

• If the BAC was between .15 and .20, additional 10 days mandatory minimum jail sentence.

• If the BAC was greater than .20, additional 20 days mandatory minimum jail sentence.

B) Committed within 5 to 10 years from a prior offense

• Minimum $500 fine

• Confinement in Jail for one month to one year. 10 day mandatory minimum jail sentence.

• If the BAC was between .15 and .20, additional 10 days mandatory minimum jail sentence.

• If the BAC was greater than .20, additional 20 days mandatory minimum jail sentence.

License Suspension

License revoked for 3 years.

• 2nd conviction within 5 years- eligible for Restricted Operator’s License after 1 year. Ignition Interlock required for Restricted OL.

• 2nd conviction within 5-10 years- eligible for Restricted Operator’s License after 4 months. Ignition Interlock required for Restricted OL.

Third Offense – Penalties

A) All 3 committed within 5 years period

• Class 6 FELONY: 1-5 years imprisonment; or up to 12 months in jail and $2,500 fine.

• Mandatory minimum jail sentence of 6 months

                • Mandatory minimum fine of $1,000.

B) All 3 committed more than 5 years and up to 10 year period

• Class 6 FELONY: 1-5 years imprisonment; or up to 12 months in jail and $2,500 fine.

• Mandatory minimum jail sentence of 90 days.

• Mandatory minimum fine of $1,000.

• License Suspension

License revoked indefinitely.

Fourth Offense in 10 Years- Penalties

Class 6 Felony with mandatory minimum 1 year imprisonment and mandatory minimum $1,000 fine

License Suspension

License revoked indefinitely.

Transporting Children While Under the Influence

Conviction of any DUI offense involving a juvenile passenger (age 17 or younger) in the vehicle at the time of the offense carries an additional mandatory five-day jail term in addition to all other fines and jail sentences. You may also be assessed an additional fine of at least $500 and up to $1,000.

A second DUI offense with a juvenile (age 17 or younger) in the vehicle carries an additional 80-hour community service requirement in addition to all other fines and jail sentences.

Multiple Offenders and the Trauma Center Fund

Virginia also requires anyone has been previously been convicted of DUI/DWI in any state to pay $50 to the Trauma Center Fund to subsidize the cost of emergency medical care to accident victims in alcohol or drug use car crashes.

Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP)

If convicted under Va. §18.2-266 (DUI/DWI statute) or Va. §46.2-341.24 (DUI/DWI of a commercial vehicle), Virginia statute requires enrollment in ASAP. This course costs between $250 and $300. The program is 20 hours long and focuses on substance abuse and driving, substance abuse and health, and self-evaluation of potential for substance abuse.

Ignition Interlock Program

Virginia requires that anyone convicted of a second DUI or anyone that has a BAC greater than .15 for their first DUI have an ignition interlock system installed. This system records the drivers BAC via breath test each time the car is started. It also requires that the driver blow into the breath analyzer ever 5-20 minutes.

8 Secrets 

1. If everyone insists on their constitutional right to go to trial, the prosecutor will be in court all day.

2. In most cases, the mandatory minimum sentences for DUI are so harsh that a defendant in a DUI trial risks absolutely nothing by going to trial. Many clients ask me if a judge will penalize them with a harsher sentence if they assert their right to trial. The Virginia legislature has now raised the minimum sentence for all DUI cases to such a high level, that, if you decide to go to trial on your case, in most instances, as a practical matter, you are going to get the same sentence as the person who pleads guilty.

3. The prosecutor doesn’t want to be there. No one takes a job at a prosecutor’s office because they fantasized about prosecuting in traffic court! In most jurisdictions, the prosecutors would rather be prosecuting their felony cases than handling a traffic court docket. Furthermore, the prosecutor has 20 to 30 other cases with attorneys on the traffic court docket that they must handle that day.

4. The prosecutor is unprepared. In the vast majority of jurisdictions in Virginia, prosecutors do not look into traffic cases ahead of time. Most of my clients are shocked when I tell them that it is impossible for me to contact a prosecutor with knowledge about their case prior to the court date to discuss their case, because the prosecutors do not look into the cases ahead of time. In most jurisdictions, if someone shows up without an attorney, the prosecutor does not get involved. Thus, it is impossible for someone attempting to represent himself in these jurisdictions to discuss a possible plea bargain with the prosecutor, because the prosecutor will not speak to them. In some jurisdictions, such as Virginia Beach, there is not even a prosecutor for any traffic case, even a DUI with an attorney!

5. The police officer is unprepared. Your case is just one of an entire docket full of cases that the officer has on that date. It is not unusual for an officer to have 5 to 10 DUI cases on one date in addition to dozens of other traffic tickets. The officer often has little if any recollection of your arrest. That becomes apparent time and time again in court when I object to an officer testifying by reading from his notes and, after my objection is sustained by the judge, the officer clearly has no independent recollection of the arrest.

6. Most prosecutors know very little about the science (or lack thereof) behind field sobriety testing. At no time during law school does the professor ever say, “Today we’re going to learn about standardized field sobriety testing.” A thorough knowledge of these tests would actually hurt their cases and prevent them from making arguments that I routinely hear prosecutors make to judges while trying to argue that the results of these tests should be given more weight than they were ever intended to. For example, the three standardized field sobriety tests were only used to predict a BAC of .10 or above. Since the legal limit is now .08, there is almost no weight that a judge could give to these tests on someone with a BAC of .08 or .09.

7. The police officer did not follow proper procedures for the field sobriety tests. If a police officer receives proper training about field sobriety tests, they will be told the proper standards and procedures according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”). However, for example, on the “follow the pen with your eyes” test (the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, or HGN), the manual says that if the suspect moves his head during the test, the officer should use his flashlight or his free hand as a chin rest of the suspect.

In 25 years of practicing law, I have never seen an officer use anything as a chin rest for a suspect, even though in the vast majority of those cases the officer testifies that the suspect was swaying and unsteady on his feet! The manual also states that the walk-and-turn and one-leg stand test should not be done if the suspect is over 50 pounds overweight or has physical impairments that could affect his balance. The manual also states that the walk-and-turn test “requires a line that the suspect can see.” This is rarely done.

8. The breath testing equipment is inaccurate. The breath testing machine is just that- a machine. The machine uses an assumption to calculate the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood based on the amount of alcohol that is released into a person’s breath. The amount can vary from between 1100 and 3200. However, the machine uses a standard ratio of 2100, almost the average between the two.

If you exchange alcohol at the 1100 rate, the machine gives a reading twice as high as it should. On the other hand, if you exchange at the 3200 rate, it gives a reading half as high as it should. In any event, the principle is flawed and readings can vary up to 50% from the actual breath content. The manufacturers of the Intoxilyzer 5000 have flat out refused to reveal their source codes to defense attorneys. The source codes are basically the mathematical formula that the machine uses to convert a small sample of breath to a blood alcohol content number. Courts in Florida and Minnesota have already ruled that this refusal is a basis to dismiss DUI prosecutions. Virginia appeals courts have yet to rule on this issue.

CONCLUSION

A DUI charge is liable to make you feel overwhelmed and at the mercy of a Court system, police system and legal system that you do not understand. With the police and the prosecutor trying to convict you, you might think that it is useless to fight the charges against you.

The goal of this book is to help you feel more in charge of this potentially overwhelming ordeal, to shed some light on what you are going through, and to help you find a qualified defense attorney who will work to ensure that justice is done. When it comes to your case, justice means demanding that the police follow proper procedure, that only legally admissible evidence is presented at trial, and that you are not convicted on the basis of anyone’s opinion or prejudice.

Regardless of the particulars of your case, you deserve to find a lawyer who knows what your are going through, who knows what you are up against and who has years of experience going to bat for others in your situation by fighting the DUI Guilt Myth. And a chance to fight for your rights is not simply what you deserve. It’s the law.

 www.BobKeeferLaw.com

Bob Keefer
http://www.articlesbase.com/criminal-articles/dui-guilt-myth-chapter-12-679822.html

In this article, I want to investigate whether there are, as yet, any clearly discernible trends in the usage of videos being published online.

In particular, for those who are interested in Web 2.0 and utilizing this medium in their efforts to market a business online, I plan to highlight some of the things that you really should NOT do with videos, if you want these efforts to be successful.

Although the idea of putting a video online for the whole world to see is not restricted to any particular group of people, even at this relatively early stage of 2007, it is clear that the next big wave in internet marketing is video based products.

Thus far, either the product itself has been somehow related to teaching the best ways to make and use videos in an individuals own internet marketing efforts, or the training materials themselves were overwhelmingly video based.

Now, I would suggest that for anyone interested in maximising the success of any online business who is interested in using video, there are some very good lessons to be learnt from these IM people.

At the same time, however, within the ‘real world’ population of planet earth, similar moves are clearly under happening too, and many of these videos are almost object lessons in what not to do!.

You only have to look the skyrocketing popularity of YouTube, Google video and so on to gauge the present extent of this expolsion, and also to understand that there are some very important lessons to be learnt.

Let us look at these non-IM people, ordinary people who are creating videos by the million, to see if we can ascertain what is behind this video ‘wave’, what is driving it.

Sit down when you have a spare ten minutes sometime, and take a look, as an example, at YouTube.

Punch in a keyword for your search, and have a look at the results, to see if there is any discernable pattern.

For example, for this article, I ran such a search for ‘headphones’, which returned nearly 700 results.

Browse a few pages of those results, and a few common features about the videos and their makers become abundantly clear:

• The individuals in the videos and those making them, are overwhelmingly young

• The video quality is usually poor, and generally lasts for 20 seconds or less and

• The ‘victim’ on video is usually doing something that is either funny, or embaressing, depending on your point of view.

What does this tell us about this new ‘video age’?

Well, without being too sociologically deep, it tells us that these videos are, basically, the online version of reality TV.

You only have to see how many of these videos are of people videoing themselves, to realize that Andy Warhol was dead on the money all those years ago!

Everyone is, indeed, chasing the proverbial 15 minutes of fame, and they do not, quite frankly, care how they get it!

It also begins to explain the video explosion itself.

Almost all of the videos seem to have been shot using handphones, which allow the capture of thousands of spur of the moment events that were previously lost.

Hence, the shortness of the videos and their poor quality.

And the other thing I noticed from these videos?

The vast majority have had only a tiny handful of viewers, and often, the description or tagline of the video is written as if you, the viewer, are supposed to know the people involved.

As indeed you are, because the vast majority are clearly made by youngsters to show to and impress or amuse their friends.

They are not planned or plotted, they tell no story, and, basically, for the outside world, they have absolutely zero interest.

Now, quite obviously, making a video tp promote your business that no-one apart from your wife or kids want to watch is pretty pointless. In other words, if you are planning to use video as part of a Web 2.0 marketing campaign, these ‘normal world’ videos are an object lesson in what NOT to do!

Not because of film quality, or even the length of the video, but simply because nobody outside a very small group of people would have any reason at all to warch them.

Of the ‘headphone’ videos that I suffered through, only a very small number indeed have any chance of ‘crossing over’ into the mainstream consciousness, and will forever be stuck with 5 viewers.

In fact, on a personal level, I found the vast majority to be squirmingly embarrassing.

We all know that no-one who is wearing headphones can sing quietly or in tune – sorry, kids, that is not news and it is very definitely not funny!

These videos are not in any way interesting, engaging, amusing or educational to the outside world at all.

And that is exactly what you need to avoid at all costs, if you plan to be successful with your efforts to use video to boost your marketing efforts online.

Steve Cowan
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/online-video-is-this-one-for-me-126838.html

The steady rise in a number of nations` weight gains amongst their populations has heard the alarm bells ringing at what many describe as an obesity epidemic. It is generally agreed that something must be done to put a halt to the overweight problem, otherwise the cost to health and life itself will be staggering.

A public education campaign by New York city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – five advertisements, which have been posted in 1,000 subway cars – struck a variety of themes. It was designed to make commuters aware of what unhealthy eating can do to the body, as well as showing the number of calories contained in example dishes.

Childhood obesity in Europe is growing at an alarming rate and is accelerating rapidly.

In 2005, 14 million children were categorised as overweight or obese with an estimated 400,000 children entering this category every year. In 2007, the number has risen to 22 million.

There are serious health consequences for obese children now, and as they grow up.

Around 20,000 obese children have type-2 diabetes, over a million obese children are likely to show signs for cardiovascular diseases, and over 1.4 million may have early stages of liver disorder.

Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, meaning they will be at higher risk of developing cancer, heart disease and suffering from depression.

Preventative measures have been drawn up to make younger ones at school more aware of dietary needs which will, if taught from a very early age, help children learn about what goes into food, the best ways of cooking, healthy recipes and so on, so that they will benefit in their later lives.

Research has shown a link between nutrition in early childhood and improved productivity and overall health later in life. And a study recently published in the medical journal The Lancet offers the first direct evidence that eating well as an infant and toddler stands to increase earning potential as an adult. It`s getting essential that children learn to cook at school.

Soaring obesity levels look set to drain local health and public service budgets, which will mean higher taxes for all, experts warn.

Obesity could cost NHS in England £6.3bn by 2015 if no effective action is taken says the Department of Health.

According to recent statistics, obesity kills more than 9,000 Britons a year.

Last year, the Government-commissioned Foresight report warned that unless urgent action was taken half of all Britons could be obese by 2050.

In 2008 a warning was given that heavily overweight schoolchildren faced dying eleven years younger than their slimmer classmates.

So, what is being done to improve youngster`s education with regard to cooking?
In Canada, for instance, Toronto’s Rising Chefs Culinary Centre, introduced the art of food preparation to kids three and older. Classes are taught by an executive chef with more than 20 years experience and a designation of certified chef de cuisine, the highest accreditation awarded in the culinary profession in Canada. The owners say that kids who learn to cook for themselves stand a better chance at avoiding obesity.

An array of week-long options are served up at this year-round kids’ cooking school. Spark an interest in global flavours with the World Tour camp; each week explores food from a different part of the world, including the Mediterranean, Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, the Americas and the Caribbean. Kids spend the day preparing two dishes and learning about the country they’re from. Tweens may prefer the one-week Culinary Boot Camp, where they’ll learn the art of food presentation, concoct delicious sauces, pastas and meat dishes, and visit local farms. Or there’s the Baking Boot Camp, which schools your child in breads, pastries, desserts and piping techniques. Ages six to 12.

From their website – “Welcome to Rising Chefs home on the web!
We would like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about our wonderful company. We specialize in making cooking fun! Based in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA we cater to kids, teens, and adults who want to learn how to cook. Never before has a Toronto cooking school put as much energy and time into making healthy recipes, healthy eating choices and great food come together in so many comprehensive classes. “

Rising Chefs students who are five and older will get to cook themselves, while youngsters aged three and four will be introduced to gastronomy through measuring, mixing and other hands-on activities.

North District Middle School in Varnville, South Carolina, USA, was selected from more than 60 applicants nationwide to receive the first-ever School Nutrition Foundation’ Winston Industries Equipment Award. The school kitchen, serving the only middle school in Hampton School District One, will receive quality commercial kitchen equipment including Holding Cabinets, Holding Drawers and a Steamer from Winston Industries, Inc. – a leading foodservice equipment manufacturer located in Louisville, Kentucky. The award was applied for in order to update the 40-year-old kitchen equipment that often needs expensive repairs.

As school nutrition programs nationwide provide healthy school breakfasts and lunches to students at a national average of less than $2.00 per balanced meal, costs to upgrade and replace kitchen equipment are often difficult to cover. For this reason, the School Nutrition Foundation’ Winston Industries Equipment Award was created in 2007 to assist school nutrition programs to secure the equipment they need to continue to offer quality, nutritious meals.

About the School Nutrition Foundation
The School Nutrition Foundation, established in 1964, is a non-profit corporation that provides high-quality professional development, financial aid and research programs to child nutrition professionals and members of the School Nutrition Association (SNA.) The Foundation’s commitment to the child nutrition community is integral to implementing positive change in school meals and, ultimately, to the health of school children. SNA is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. The association and its members are dedicated to feeding children safe and nutritious meals.

In England cooking lessons are to be compulsory in England’s secondary schools for children aged 11 to 14.

Pupils will learn to cook for an hour a week for one term. Poorer pupils’ ingredients will be subsidised.

Cooking is an optional part of the design and technology curriculum, but is not currently taught in all schools. The move is part of the strategy to tackle obesity, as experts believe 1m children will be obese in a decade.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families says that about 85% of secondary schools do offer cookery, (cooking), in some form. It wants those schools to make the change immediately, and the rest by 2011.

All 11-year-olds in England will be able to receive a free cookbook under a programme aimed at tackling obesity. Head teachers will be able to order the booklet, which has recipes for favourites such as spaghetti bolognese, roast chicken and jacket potatoes.

Primary pupils
It might come as a surprise to many parents but cookery – or food skills – is already, theoretically at least, compulsory on the primary school curriculum. As they learn about nutrition, food groups and the science of food, children are expected to progress from cutting up fruit to baking bread.

In practice, either because they don’t have trained staff or the facilities, few schools do much, if any, hands-on cooking with children. Now that cooking is to be taught to secondary school children, public health campaigners’ focus has switched to giving younger and more impressionable children a better and practical food education.

Primary school teachers are not given any training in teaching cooking, although there is a scheme for secondary food teachers to pass on skills to primary school staff. Very few primary schools have any facilities for children to cook in, either. In Wales a commitment to teach under-11s how to cook has been made.

But critics have expressed concern about the practicalities of the idea.

Clarissa Williams of the National Association of Head Teachers said the training of food technology teachers had been neglected for so long it would be difficult to see the strategy through.

Children will have to participate in a one-hour lesson each week for a whole term, in the bid to teach nutritional lessons that put a stop to obesity. Many may think this is an excellent idea, with support from TV chef Jamie Oliver and parents that relieve themselves of the pressure to cook meals that must be green, lean and tasty because now, their children can do it.

Whether just one hour a week is enough though is debatable. Just as cooking needs time, so does teaching it. Practical cookery in an hour is impossible, it limits the number of dishes taught and becomes rushed, so already many believe the Government’s plans are flawed – a two-hour lesson a week would certainly be more useful if the plan intends longevity in Britain’s educational scheme.

The situation in Germany, however, is different. Neither elementary school nor high school curricula require instruction in food-preparation skills or on how to run a household. Only occasionally will a high school offer these subjects as electives.

Sadly, the number of children who are taught food-preparation skills at home is continually declining. Scientists bemoan the loss as more and more students grow up without the necessary skills for running a household.

This is where Aid Infoservice came into the picture. It has instituted a program of instructional building blocks for elementary students by establishing a “Nutrition Competency Driver’s License.”

The core of this curriculum, comprised of six or seven two-hour classroom sessions, focuses on practical experiences with food ingredients and kitchen tools, but does not include experience in an actual kitchen lab.

Geoff Cummings
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/why-children-need-to-learn-to-cook-in-school-723540.html

Today’s traffic school classes can be completed in a relatively short amount of mandated time, taken over multiple times, taken at one or multiple locations, or even entirely finished online!

Whatever the reason why you’re having to take the class, concentrating on learning defensive driving skills may save lives in the days to come as more and more trucks and cars share the same road.

Every single state has its own guidelines and rules for traffic school classes. Always check that the class you take is one that is accepted as valid by the state where you live, whether that is Texas defensive driving, New York defensive driving, Florida defensive driving, California defensive driving, or Arizona defensive driving.

Many Reasons Explain Why People Take Courses at Traffic Schools

There are several reasons why people either make the decision to attend or must take classes. These can include.

Training at traffic schools in defensive driving, which are a way to lower car insurance payments

Drivers Ed may be needed before being allowed to apply for a driver’s license

Lessening or eliminating the hassle of spending time in court because of a traffic violation

As the result of driving impaired due to alcohol

The Necessities of Traffic Schools

When looking for information about traffic schools, any of this bulleted list of feature benefits may be appropriate to your needs.

Time-saving local office sites with times that match your schedule

Classes online available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

A amount of time to finish the class, depending on your desires

Government-approved

Approved by the court to qualify as a means to have a ticket dismissed or diminished

Highly knowledgeable customer service to answer questions

Fully licensed and trained instructors

Take the time to research different defensive driving courses. You may be surprised to see just how much uniqueness there is amongst them.

For some, an online course is best. Others learn better in a classroom setting. Fortunately, all of these options are available. It’s bad enough that you have to go through a defensive driving course. You should at least have the option to pick your poison.

Of course, you should be careful to make sure that you are dealing with a reputable school to make sure that you are not swindled out of your money.

As for the reasons one needs to take a traffic course. Yours, of course, will be unique to you. Whatever the reason, though, there is a traffic school for you. It may be online; it may be in physical location. But rest assured, you will find a defensive driving course that will meet all of your needs.

Just take the time to do your research and make the best choice for you.

Take the time to research different defensive driving courses. You may be surprised to see just how much uniqueness there is amongst them.

For some, an online course is best. Others learn better in a classroom setting. Fortunately, all of these options are available.

Eddie Yakubovich
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/traffic-schools-help-make-the-roads-safer-for-everybody-122383.html

Golf holidays in Spain are popular year round, especially in the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca regions where the weather allows for golfing even in the winter. Most resorts are located on the eastern coastline along the Mediterranean Sea and new courses continually to be built in this area. Golf resorts in Spain are a great getaway for those in need of a break from the winter weather back home. Information the courses in these regions can be found online or through a travel agent. You can find pictures of the courses, locations, maps and information on upcoming events.

Many golf resorts also offer instruction to its guests with an onsite golf school. Professional golfers can give lessons in groups or one-on-one instruction. Naturally, group instruction is less expensive that individual lessons. You can choose whatever meets your instruction needs. Some resorts even offer instruction for children. When not working with a golf instructor, you can practice your newly learned or refreshed skills on the driving range. Most resorts also have an onsite golf shop which sell equipment and apparel. There is no need to worry if you forgot to pack something. Some also rent clubs, bags and balls which is excellent for those preferring not to bring these items from home. The club house is also a nice amenity allowing you to change and shower afterwards. Some resorts also have a sauna and food services available.

A fairly common complaint among golfers is when other golfers play at a slow pace. There are some things you can do to avoid this and remain courteous to fellow golfers. Be ready to play when it is your turn. When it is your turn, play your shot and move to the next tee to mark your scorecard. Courtesy on the golf course is important to everyone having an enjoyable time.

There are also other activities offered at golf resorts. When not on the course, you or your family can enjoy the pool, entertainment, shopping, restaurants, nightlife and other nearby attractions. The Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca regions are such popular vacation destinations you will have plenty to do when not golfing.

Jack Blacksmith
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/golfing-in-spain-along-the-mediterranean-coast-95364.html