In the early morning hours of every school day, youngsters board a yellow and black bus and head to an exciting day at school. We rely and trust that knowledgeable and responsible school bus drivers will deliver and retrieve our children each day, with safety as their number one priority. According to the American School Bus Council, each school bus equals 36 cars, which means that children have a better chance at a safer ride to and from school rather than riding in a standard vehicle. Even the safest, most law abiding drivers are at risk for being involved in an accident with a distracted driver. Taking your children out of the backseat and on to a school bus should be a safer alternative, but recently in some states, school bus riders are at risk of being involved in an accident caused by distracted driving. The distracted driver? The trusted school bus driver.
Laws Against Texting and Driving
According to the U.S. Government Website for Distracted Driving, currently 41 states ban text messaging while driving and for good reason. No one, regardless of what they think or say, is good at texting and driving. Texting and driving, as separate actions, require visual, manual, and cognitive attention. Choosing to combine the two actions, at the same time, is a potentially lethal decision. While many drivers may argue that they have texted while driving without an incident to date, we all know it only takes one small incident to change life forever. Some drivers are self-proclaimed multi-taskers, boasting at their ability to drive the kids to school, while drinking piping hot coffee, texting co-workers, and keeping the car within the speed limit.
Studies show that multi-tasking doesn’t really exist. When you try to do more than one thing at a time, your brain struggles to prioritize the task at hand. For example, when you are driving, your visual attention is on the road, your manual attention is on the wheel, and your cognitive attention is in tune to driving. Once you hear the beep of a text notification, your brain suddenly “switches gears”. Your eyes may remain on the road, your hands may be on the wheel, but you are suddenly thinking about the text message and who may have sent it. The alert nags at you until you reach into your purse and check your phone, causing you to take all attention from driving.
Considering all the potential dangers of texting and driving, why are the school bus drivers in particular states allowed to text while transporting dozens of innocent children? Against the Golden Rule?
In September, a student, riding the school bus, took a video of the bus driver texting while driving. At one point, the driver was using her knee to control the wheel and struggled to stay within her lane. While the driver was suspended, the video footage has left many parents feeling uneasy, rethinking their morning transportation plan. While those states that allow it ban texting while driving, school bus drivers are allowed to text if the messages are work related. Even if school bus drivers pledge to use their cell phone for work related information, who will monitor to make sure the term “work related” isn’t be used loosely?
More importantly, how would a cell phone interfere with a bus driver’s performance? A school bus driver’s occupation can be rewarding and stressful. Safely transporting children is the main objective of the job, which doesn’t (and shouldn’t) allow for error. In addition to being a safe driver, according to United States Department of Labor, bus drivers are expected to have good customer service skills, be in good physical, mental and emotional health, have patience, good hand/eye coordination, and excellent vision and hearing. If a driver becomes immersed in “work related” text messages, he/she cannot perform the following important tasks:
Watch traffic and people carefully to ensure the safety of children getting on and off the bus
Take care of the needs of children with disabilities
Keep order and safety on the school bus
Understand and enforce the school system’s rules regarding student conduct
Report disciplinary problems to the school district or parents
Although texting laws have a few exceptions, it is safer and smarter to adhere to the “no texting and driving” law rather than trying to read between the lines or slip through a loophole. Texting and driving can injure, kill, and change your life in a matter of seconds. The next time you walk your child to the bus stop, will you trust her life in the hands of a texting bus driver or will you drive her to school, risking the busy roads filled with distracted drivers?
Travertine Tiles – Perfect Choice to Match Your Home Furniture
Traver-tine tiles are one of the best tiles that you can avail out in the market. There are lots of people who choose these tiles to be their flooring tiles. But sometime you feel bored having the same kind of tiles like your neighbors. There are some homeowners who feel monotonous about having the same pattern and design for their home. This is the reason why there are some homeowners who are planning to build their home who want to choose materials that is unusual in order to have a distinct and unique appeal.
There are lots of home improvement stores out there that are selling different materials that are ideal for that homeowner who are improving their home or planning to build their dream home. There are varieties of tiles that you can choose from and for sure you will be able to achieve the look and ambiance that you always wanted for your home. As you go on with your search, you will surely encounter those Traver-tine tiles. These tiles can be a perfect choice if you are dreaming of a new and distinct look for your home.
Home furniture is also one of the important matters that you need to consider when improving your home. But the choice of appropriate furniture will still depend on the tiles that you want to install for your home. And as you choose Traver-tine tiles for your home, you have to pick furniture pieces that will go well with your tiles.
The designs and patterns of Traver-tine tiles give homeowners a good choice in making their home unique and beautiful. And for sure you will realize that these tiles are a valuable investment because it can last for a lifetime. It is durable enough just like any flooring materials that are available out in the market. Easy maintenance of these tiles is also an additional point why it is the best option that you can choose from. By simply sweeping it with soft bristle broom and wiping it with soft cloth you are done cleaning it. You can be sure that you will love to have these tiles for your home because you do not have to apply some wax to make it shine; it has natural shine that will make your home glitter.
And if in case you already have existing furniture pieces that you love, then you can choose the right design and pattern of Traver tine tiles that will compliment the existing furniture that you have. With this you will probably end up with a home that you can be proud of.
Affordable Care Home Furniture For All
The average age of life expectancy is constantly creeping up and because of this the nursing industry is taking off. It would be nice to know that if we are fortunate enough to make it into one of these homes that we could live out the remainder of our lives in comfort.
If you have ever visited a one of these home your will be only too aware that some of the care home furniture is not exactly fantastic. This is down to the way that these organizations are funded. Some of these are run by private companies who would rather invest the money into other revenues than themselves.
Thankfully there are a number of companies on the market at present who supply classic, contemporary but maybe more importantly for a number of company’s cheap care home furniture. Sometimes people wrongly assume that because something has been made cheaply that it is not a quality product. This couldn’t be further from the truth; these products have been mass produced and because of this they can be made for less.
When you are looking to make care home furniture you need to ensure that you are producing a piece of equipment that will stand up to the stresses and strains that will be put upon it by an elderly person. People lose their strength when they are older and put huge pressures onto the framework of chairs when removing themselves from them, because of this it is essential that the frame of the structure is secure.
It is also very important that care home furniture is made with a degree of stability. If a chair is manufactured too soft then people will sink into the product and struggle more when they are attempting to get back to their feet. Because of this it is essential that the correct foam is used that will give essential support but will provide individuals with an appropriate level of comfort.
With the list of requirements needed to make this furniture, it is strange that any company would wants to make it especially at affordable prices. You can find these companies online simply by putting a short search into Google. Hopefully because there are a number of companies out there that are producing these products the nursing homes will be able to replace the care home furniture on a more regular basis and all their residents will be able to live out their days in comfort.
Beauty Cosmetics Tips
Since foundation is the palette on which you will paint, it is the first important step in the process of good cosmetic application. A good moisturizer containing sunscreen should be applied, followed by a spot concealer to cover any blemishes, spider veins, or dark areas in pigment. To choose the perfect shade of foundation, a three stripe test should be done along the jawbone. The shade that more closely matches the skin tone should be chosen. If the match is good, it will be unnecessary continue foundation past the jaw line.
One of the best beauty cosmetic tips concerns contouring, which is best done at this point. Using a very light, almost white, foundation, and a tiny brush, paint any obvious wrinkles. With a finger, gently blend this by patting it, You will notice that the wrinkles almost disappear because light colors bring out shadows. This principle works with darker colors in the same way. If you have a double chin or a round face, you can use a darker foundation shade or powder in that area to slim the face. Most foundations last longer if covered by a light dusting of complimentary facial powder.
Once the foundation is set, facial features should be dramatized. The eyebrows are often forgotten, but a touch of eyebrow pencil works to create framework to make the eyes pop. To lift the eyebrows and create space above the eyes, a light eye shadow should be applied to the entire eyelid all the way to the brows. Using a sponge brush, a base color can be applied from the eyelid into the crease of the eye. Then, for a particularly dramatic look, you can make a triangular shape with a darker color at the outer corner of the eye. These colors should be blended upward and outward with small strokes.
To finish the eye, you can either use an eye pencil in small, feathery strokes or, if you don’t feel capable of drawing a straight line, you can use a dark shadow along the edge of the lid to create a line. One of the beauty cosmetic tips suggested by experts is to line only half of the area under the eye from the corner back toward the center. This makes the eyes look significantly larger. A coat of mascara is the perfect finishing touch.
Beauty cosmetics used on lips and cheeks add youthful vitality. A lip liner keeps lip color from feathering into the lines around the mouth but should blend well with the lipstick. Cheek color should begin on the apples of the cheek and sweep upward. A great beauty tip is to use a bit of powder to clear any excess blush.
All of these simple beauty cosmetic tips should result in a natural look that can be worn for any occasion.
Luisa Cerano Fashion Styles Incorporates Nautical Themed Clothing and the Slim Illusion Effect
A new trend of nautical themed clothing is bursting out on to the fashion scene. There has been a major resurgence in the proliferation of pinstriped blouses. The advantage of pinstripes gives the optical illusion of a thinner, more complimentary to the body fit as opposed to older designs such as swivels which are now becoming redundant. Catwalk reports from January-March 2010 are also predicting a resurgence of tapered trousers and flanneled tunics. This is clearly a cataclysmic period for the entire fashion system when celebrities are flaunting themselves in public wearing clothing from a forgotten era. Perhaps we are merely experiencing silhouettes of a future that is yet to come. What have we become? We are looking into the eyes of a futuristic society where we will be able to order a product as soon as it comes off the catwalk. With these kind of advancements trends may become increasingly unimportant with consumers preferring to lean to their own spontaneous inclinations. It’s times like these that make us nostalgic of the pre-internet era. Thankfully in this time of extreme confusion and darkness there are still cutting edge designers to lead us to the light of fashion excellence.
The emergence of European lines in the American market is a highly sought after look by women of all ages. Major lines with high credentials that do not fit the bland ‘high brand’ labels are gaining increasing popularity with the ‘rich nice’ of socialites who want to separate themselves from the super edgy and the cliche.
The Luisa Cerano fashion collection provides modern, elegant and unique clothing for those who want to express themselves to the fullest. Cultivating mainly Italian fabrics, flawless craftsmanship is used to deliver a striking collection of distinct clothing. From shirts and knitted tops to an array of leather and fur items, Luisa Cerano provides a sophisticated yet stunning collection of clothes for the contemporary woman. Such fashion is certainly welcomed in a world where liberated women are becoming increasingly comfortable in “hipster sweats”. While it is certainly a comforting feeling as the smooth velvet layer brushes against our sensitive skin; we must be very careful. Are we creating rationalizations for our enjoyment of this somewhat decadent trend or is it genuinely the most fashionable look on the catwalk? As tempting as it is to rejoice in donning pajama bottoms, it is not our duty as fashion worshipers to look elegant?
Bridesmaids Gifts – Beautiful Cosmetic Bags
Bridesmaids gifts come in a different variety, you can give anything from earrings and necklaces to personalized bridesmaids robes. Bridesmaids gifts can be given before or after the wedding day. In most instances, bridesmaids gifts are given at the bridal shower, especially if the gifts are something that the bridesmaids can use on the wedding day.
Aside from jewelry, handbags and dresses, you may also consider giving something unique to your bridesmaids. Elegant evening bags are always good, but adorable cosmetic bags that can hold their most essential make-ups can be fun. Here are some beautiful cosmetic bags you can give to your bridesmaids.
Personalized 2 Pieces Cosmetic Bag Set. Spunky polka dots give this practical Personalized 2 Piece Cosmetic Bag Set a bit of sass. This adorable travel cosmetic bag set makes a great gift for your bridesmaids and is handy to have for yourself. Each cute bag comes with its own handy mirror tucked neatly into a pocket for easy make-up applications on the go. This cute printed cosmetic bag set comes with one square cosmetic tote and one round cosmetic bag. Each is made of sturdy easy to clean nylon and feature zipper closures and removable mirrors. The large square bag also boasts an interior pocket for extra storage options. To make it even more special for your bridesmaids, you may opt to personalize the bags with their names or initials.
Personalized Terry Cloth Cosmetic Bag. This soft Terry Cloth Cosmetic Bag evokes a feeling of casual comfort and relaxation, just like your comfy bathrobe and cushy favorite slippers. This travel case is perfect for holding bridesmaids’ luxurious lotions and lush lavender scented soaps, and is large enough for all the other necessities they need to help them unwind when away from home. This bag is machine-washable and may be personalized with your bridesmaids’ name or initials.
Crystallized Velour Cosmetic Case. The choices are endless with this hot new Crystallized Velour Cosmetic Case. With four color choices-red with purple accents, lime with pink, brown with teal or black with hot pink accents-you will find a color combination for all your bridesmaids. The plush velour exterior is trimmed with the complimentary color which also lines the satin interior of the bag and even the zipper. After you have determined the color choice, you need to start narrowing down the crystallized embellishments. With over 30 choices, there is no end to the options. There are several phrases choices such as “love me,” “Maid of Honor” and “Bridesmaid” plus all 26 first initials in a soft script make this a very personal gift for pretty bridesmaids.
Embroidered Quilted Cosmetic Organizer Bag. This deluxe cosmetic bag feature a jewel like colors combined with basic black. This is made of diamond stitched quilt microfiber that features contrasting colored piping, handles and outer pocket with velcro closure. Your bridesmaids can perfectly pack their makeups and cosmetics in a well-designer removable inner cosmetic bag, with a elastic edged gathered outer pocket perfect for lip pencils and eyeshadow brushes, and an additional clear plastic pocket. You can have your bridesmaids initials embroidered on the front outer pocket to make it more special and memorable.
Fashion cosmetic bags are indeed a fun and very sassy gift for you bridesmaids. You may also consider other bags such as personalized tote bags, monogrammed purses, monogrammed backpacks and many others.
Guide On How To Buy A Laser Cutting Machine
A laser cutting machine is a machine that uses laser lights to cut through different materials such as metal, wood, textiles, acrylic among many others. When it comes to metal cutting, you can use it to cut different types of metals such as stainless steel, steel, and aluminium.
Laser cutting is preferred by many people as its accurate, has a very small kerf width, yields excellent cut quality, and has a small heat effect zone.
For you to buy the right machine you need to consider a number of factors:
Function
How will you be using the machine? You can use the cutting machine for two main functions: cutting and engraving. As mentioned, you can use it on different materials. The materials have different specifications; therefore, before you head to the stores you should decide on how you will use your machine.
Bed size
The bed size of the machine determines the amount of work you can do. The bed size varies from A3 to A1 where the bigger the size, the more the work that your machine can handle. The bed size is a permanent feature; therefore, you can’t change it in the future.
The decision should be based on the amount of work that you are planning of handling. For example, if you are planning of handling large projects you should go for a machine with a large bed.
Optic quality
The quality of the optics is the one that determines how well the machine performs. Many unknowledgeable people think that the wattage is the one that determines how effective the machine works, but this isn’t true.
When making the purchase you shouldn’t bother with the amount of power that the machine consumes-you should concentrate on the quality of the optics.
To determine the quality of the optics you should ask the seller to demonstrate how the machine works on different materials and settings.
Ease of use
If you are a new buyer you most likely don’t know how to use the laser cutting machine. A good machine should come with an easy-to-follow manual. The manual should not only show you how to use the machine, but also how to undertake minor repairs.
Conclusion
These are tips on how to buy the right laser cutting machine. Although, the machine is designed to cut different materials, you should avoid cutting plastic with it as plastic tends to give off chlorine gas which is harmful when you breath it.
School Bus Accidents – Rare, But Still an Issue
The accident rate for school buses is thankfully, very low. Considering the sheer volume of school buses that transport children to and from school daily, school buses are relatively very safe. This is probably due in part to their large size and design, and the lower speeds in which they tend to travel. However, motor vehicle accidents do still occur on school buses, and when they do, the consequences can be overwhelming for everyone involved.
The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science and Engineering reports that there are approximately 6,000 injuries and 20 deaths annually in the USA due to school bus accidents.
School bus designs have not been changed since 1977, which means that many of them are not equipped with seat belts. Although 3 states – New York, New Jersey and Florida – require new buses to have seat belts, only New Jersey and Florida actually require riders to use them. Safety advocates have been fighting to make seat belts and seat belt usage a standard in all new buses across the country.
Out of the estimated 20 deaths that occur annually due to school buses, an incredible 15 of them are due to children being run over by the buses in the process of boarding or exit them. Safety laws have been implemented in all states to remedy this problem, but pedestrian accidents still remain.
The issues surrounding school bus accidents can become quite complicated. Personal Injury Lawyers / Accident Attorneys who have experience with liability laws can be very helpful in sorting out the legal matters surrounding this type of accident. Many factors must be taken into consideration when deciding fault in a school bus accident. Although infrequent, school bus accidents do occur, and a lawyer specializing in school bus accidents can help determine the negligent party and assess any damages that may be claimed.
Secrets Of A Travel Mom
In this article, I will be comparing the various ways a family can have the highest quality vacations for the lowest prices. I will compare various travel memberships, and buying a timeshare, so that you understand what is out there and choose what would benefit your family the most.
Traveling with kids can be more work than fun sometimes, so having accommodations with a kitchen and separate bedrooms can be the difference between enjoying a vacation and coming home exhausted.
There are several options for families to access luxury resorts around the world without paying the rack rates.
The first and most well known is to buy a timeshare or even better, to look for a timeshare resale. The problem with timeshares though, is that it is a commitment and there is normally a high upfront cost to become a member of around $10,000 or more. Timeshare owners must pay yearly maintenance fees that normally average about $700 or $800 and they get a week at a specified resort, or a couple weeks if they are using points. They do have the option of using other worldwide resorts by simply paying RCI or Interval International (the largest exchange companies) an exchange fee each time they do so. Exhanges fees are normally around $163 per exchange. For many families, owning a timeshare can improve their travel lifestyle, but there it is a longterm commitment and there are alternatives.
There are several travel memberships on the market now that offer equally, if not more value than buying a timeshare or timeshare resale. Most of them are home business opportunities that pay members to promote their company, instead of dragging people to timeshare presentations and paying sales people.
Sometimes the fact there is a business opportunity attached to a travel membership can turn people away, but it you look past that and look at what the memberships offer, you will usually find better value that if you buy a timeshare or even timeshare resale.
There are two travel companies that stood out for me when I was doing my research.
One is called Global Resorts Network and it offers families three different membership options. Their highest level offers 20 weeks vacation per year (at $398-$799/week) for a one time membership cost of $12,500. They also have a membership that offers 10 weeks per year for one time purchase of $4,995. Their lowest package gives 2 weeks per year and costs $1,995. TheyGRN use RCI as one of their travel providers which is the largest provider of timeshare properties in the world. When booking a vacation, members must make a request manually to head office.
World Discovery Club is a newer company that opened it’s doors at the end of 2011. Although their website and marketing is not as fancy, their product is solid. They also use RCI as their main condo provider, as well as a high end provider of private villas and private vacation homes for travelers with a hearty budget.
World Discovery Club has six different membership levels and members can browse inventory and book directly through their own website.
Their lowest membership is a 1 year membership for $497 and gives members to unlimited weeks ($199 up to $1200, depending on the resort and season). The average week seems to be between $355 and $698.
The next level is a 10 year membership for $1497.
Then they have a 50 year membership for $2497, which includes one $497 membership to give away. In my opinion as a travel mom and someone who has actually sold ‘real’ timeshare in the past, is the best value as a travel membership for families.
The top 3 memberships are all 99 year membership and come with more benefits, and more to give away the higher you go. They are $6497, $12,497, and $19,995.
I am not sure who would purchase the top two memberships, unless they were business people who had a lot clients, staff, or extremely large families they wanted to give vacations to.
Comparing apples to apples, I found that World Discovery Club had the best value as a product in itself and the most availability.
As a business opportunity, Global Resorts paid higher commissions to their sales reps, but their payplan did not offer any leverage. On the business side, World Discovery Club’s commissions were a little lower, but they have a multi-level apsect to their payplan, which in the home business industry is important because it ensure that your upline with help and support you better..
Both Global Resorts Network and World Discovery Club are good options to buying a timeshare because they are less expensive and offer more flexibility. Unlike timeshare, neither of the travel companies mentioned above, have any yearly maintenance fees or exchange fees, which is nice for those who do not want the commitment or contracts that you get when you buy a timeshare or a timeshare resale.
Although not as flashy to look at, World Discovery Club seems to be a ‘hidden gem’ in the travel world.
What is the Difference Between Your Home Furniture and Commercial Furniture?
If you are to purchase furniture, you may want to consider the difference from the most popular types available in the market such as commercial furniture and home furniture. Many would say that furniture stays as it is and there is no difference to it, the truth is, there is.
Commercial grade furniture are made for longer use and are designed for easy maintenance. This type of furniture are mostly recommended for business use and mostly are sold in bulk because they are acquired for the reason that these furniture will be used by many people on a daily basis. And since these type of furniture is meant for daily use by various people, it must be made is to clean and maintain for less costs.
Commercial furniture compared to home furniture is more sturdy,because the materials used for this type of furniture are stronger than that those being used for residential furniture as well as other furniture available in the market. This just means that, if you have a business establishment and you expect to have a lot of visitors from time to time as well as clients, you will have to choose to make use of a sturdier type of furniture to make sure that they do not wear off that easily and they are durable enough to last for a longer period of time.
Let us say for instance you are to put up a food catering business, of course you will be needing furniture where your customers can sit and dine. If you are to make use of furniture which are made from lighter materials, can you assure yourself that this will last you for the years to come? That is why it is necessary that the furniture that you will acquire should be less expensive but at least sturdy and durable to last for years. In this case you will not have to worry about dissatisfied customers who rates your restaurant low because of their low satisfaction on such facilities, or future expenses because of furniture that has to be replaced from time to time.
You also have to keep in mind that finding the right commercial furniture supplier is essential. If you want more options, you may try searching online to get a list of online furniture shops. From there you can decide what type of furniture is best for your home or business establishment.