Sunday, January 29, 2012

Change Your Life?

Rudyard Kipling's Poem "If" Inspires Virtue-al Online Literary Magazine


Soul-searching through books and music created by great minds of the past and present


ATLANTA, Jan. 27, 2012  -- What if there were an online magazine exclusively for people with the desire to change their lives and face the future as the person they were born to be? What if the magazine aspired to address modern challenges with the best that human thought has produced, bringing together literature, poetry and music spanning centuries and yet to be written? And what if every article in this magazine provided new, hopeful perspectives and, ultimately, an attitude upgrade? All Things If™ is here.

In an overwhelming world, we often lose touch with some intangible things—our happiness, our compassion, our integrity, our best selves. We need to be reminded there's an approach to life that gives us everything we want at no cost to our honor. Many of the ideas and guidelines are already out there.

Founder and managing editor Misha Shengaout says, "I've had my share of life's lumps just like everyone else. We all have to do some serious soul searching to keep making sense of why we're here and how to keep moving forward. Some of the brightest minds in history struggled with these questions, so I've always dreamed of a place to match our existential frustrations with the inspiring answers they've already found. One of the greatest examples is Rudyard Kipling's famous poem "If", where—in 32 short lines—he defines the ideal of human character. The poem gives our magazine its name."

Socrates said, "Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for." With those words in mind, All Things If features original fiction, non-fiction, editorials and poetry, as well as book and music reviews leading subscribers to thought-provoking authors and musicians, including relevant fiction and non-fiction works by international writers never before translated into English.

To celebrate the magazine's launch, All Things If will soon announce its inaugural writing contest, "IF you can write…" The contest is open to all, with cash prizes for non-fiction and fiction. Writers will be asked to incorporate one of the ideals expressed in the poem "If" in their submissions. Time to discover what truly great minds think!

SOURCE All Things If, LLC

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Sing Sweetly?

Love to Sing? Sweet! Sweet Adelines International Is Teaching the World to Sing

TULSA, Okla., Jan. 12, 2012  -- Sweet Adelines International is one of the world's largest music education associations for women. Members extend over five continents and belong to more than 500 choruses. This month, choruses from all over the globe are teaching the world to sing by participating in an organization-wide Global Open House event. Women of all ages who enjoy singing are invited to find and visit a Sweet Adelines International chorus during the month of January.

Sweet Adelines International endows nearly 23,000 members with the mastery of singing barbershop harmony. This style of music is defined as unaccompanied, close-harmony singing produced by four parts: lead, tenor, baritone and bass. The a cappella style and the ear training necessary for independent part singing make it one of the most challenging and rewarding accomplishments of a vocal ensemble. When the music is sung accurately and with good breath support and vocal techniques, barbershop harmony produces overtone vibrations that create a resonant ring unique to this form of music.

Local choruses are the laboratories where members receive basic training in barbershop harmony. Programs are designed to inspire women to reach their full singing potential. Any woman of average singing ability, with or without vocal training, will find a part that fits her voice range.

Members enjoy unlimited training and educational opportunities as well as spectacular performance, entertainment and competition possibilities. It's a rich, rewarding experience to sing with a worldwide community of friends who value the joy of singing four-part, a cappella harmony.

To find a local chorus and for more information about Sweet Adelines International, call toll-free 1.800.992.7464 or 918.622.1444, email commdept@sweetadelineintl.org or visit http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/. View a list of choruses that are participating in the January 2012 Global Open House event here, http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/filesSite/participatingchapters.pdf.

About Sweet Adelines International

Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education, competition and performance. The organization is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma where it was founded in 1945. This nonprofit music education association is one of the world's largest singing organizations for women encompassing more than 23,000 members, 1,000 registered quartets and 500 choruses located in most of the fifty United States, Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, The Netherlands and Wales. In 2009, Sweet Adelines International set a Guinness World Record for Largest Singing Lesson. The lesson involved 6,651 participants and was achieved during Sweet Adelines International's 63rd Annual Convention and Competition at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn. on October 24, 2009.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Get An Online Degree?

U.S.News & World Report Announces Inaugural Top Online Education Program Rankings

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2012 -- U.S.News & World Report released today the first-ever edition of Top Online Education Program rankings. Online bachelor's degree programs as well as graduate online degree programs in business, engineering, nursing, education, and computer information technology were ranked. There will be no print component to the Online Education rankings, and the full data and rankings will only be available through the subscription-based U.S. News Online Compass.


These rankings are in response to today's high demand for education provided in a flexible manner. With many distractions to detract from one's schooling, online education has become increasingly popular due to its adaptability.


"Online learning has fast become an integral part of education," said U.S.News & World Report Editor and Chief Content Officer Brian Kelly. "People are hungry for more information regarding online education and we are in a position to give these people the best information available."


While U.S. News has applied some of its ranking standards used for traditional schools, many new measures have been developed and were used to evaluate online programs. In order to be considered for the rankings, online degree programs needed to have at least 80 percent of their course content available online.


Online bachelor's degree programs were ranked in three different categories: student engagement and assessment, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology. The online master's degree programs were ranked in similar categories, but were evaluated on student engagement and accreditation as opposed to assessment. There was also a separate indicator ranking for admissions selectivity.


There were no numeric rankings for overall program quality this inaugural year. Instead, U.S. News created non-numeric honor roll lists of online programs. There is one honor roll for online bachelor's degree programs and one each for the master's degree programs, excluding computer information technology. Each list includes programs that performed well across a series of numeric indicator rankings.


Data was collected from both for-profit and not-for-profit schools. For more information about the ranking methodology, please go to http://www.usnews.com/onlinemeth.


"The importance of online education will only continue to grow and it is something that U.S. News is excited to be a part of," said Kelly. "We will continue developing how we evaluate online programs so that we can provide the best information we can to help people make their right choice."


For more information on the Top Online Education Program rankings, please visit http://www.usnews.com/online or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Top Online Education Program Rankings 2012
 
* To see the full rankings for each program, visit the following pages:

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

Play Piano?

Free 50-part Online Course on Piano Chords Titled 'All About Piano Chords'

MEDFORD, Ore., Jan. 10, 2012 -- The piano lessons division of PlayPiano.com is announcing a free 50-part online course titled "All About Piano Chords." The free online course is for everybody from seasoned piano players to people who don't know Middle C from Tweedle Dee but want to learn all about and how to use piano chords.


Subscribers will receive an e-mail every few days that will direct them to a full-color, full-sound webpage that will demonstrate how easy and fun chords can be. Some lessons will use audio and some will use video, but all lessons include full-color photos of chords as they are played on the piano keyboard.


Some of the topics included are: major chords, minor chords, diminished chords, augmented chords, 7th chords, 9th chords, 11th chords, 13th chords, suspensions, the Circle of Keys, the 12-bar blues, and 39 others. Subscribing to the free courses is as easy as going to http://www.playpiano.com/pianolessons.htm.


A sample of what the online course is like can be seen at http://www.playpiano.com/101-tips/3-major-chords.htm.


About PlayPiano.com
PlayPiano.com was accidentally started in 1965 by a hungry young piano player who started putting his piano lessons on paper for friends and acquaintances. Those papers turned into booklets and then books. When cassettes came along he recorded his books on to them, and when video made its appearance, he started demonstrating various piano techniques on video. He now offers over 200 different piano courses on video and CD and DVD, as well as providing the free 50-part e-mail newsletter on piano chords to a growing list of some 40,000 subscribers.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Be An Online Trader?

PureTick.com Launches Free Online Training Room for Traders

New 'PureTick Pit' Proves Out 89.9% Success Rate.

 Offering Free Training for Life for E-Mini Futures Traders

 

DESTIN, Fla., Jan. 3, 2012 -- PureTick.com™, a live day trading room with an 89.9% success rate for e-mini trade alerts, today announced the PureTick Pit ™ - a free for life online training room for people that are tired of being seduced by online trading schools to spend thousands of dollars on programs that claim to make them the world's best trader in a matter of days.

Designed for people that are new to trading or that just want a refresher, members of the PureTick Pit™ will experience the daily action of a live trading room while learning a proven methodology for becoming CEO of their own successful trading business. Members will:
  • Experience trading alert reviews, explained by a live moderator
  • Gain behind-the-scenes knowledge of winning trading strategies
  • Have real time access to a professional seasoned trader for questions and answers
  • Build community with others by sharing best practices
Additionally, in honor of PureTick.com's five-year anniversary, traders can augment their learning in the PureTick Pit by purchasing the Jump Start Guide for only $19.99 (value of $69), allowing them to follow along with lessons being facilitated by the
moderator.

PureTick.com is also launching a new VIP Membership , which includes a new A-Z Self Study Guide™, plus Triggers & Filters, a free month in the trading room; 2 hours of coaching; and $500 towards any PureTick.com live event (Cost: $2499 with a money back guarantee). Designed for PureTick.com trading room members that want to become self-sufficient professional traders, the A-Z Self Study Guide includes comprehensive guidance chart set-ups, PureTick trading methodology, video tutorials and more. Whether you want to trade Equities Futures, Gold, Oil, or Stocks, the techniques and methodologies detailed in this guide are applicable to everyone.

"The problem with this industry is that people want a quick fix and quick results, and trading schools feed into this need by selling people programs that promise the holy grail," explains Alex Wasilewski , CEO of PureTick.com. "The reality is that becoming a successful trader is just like any other career - it takes technical discipline, mental discipline and time spent learning by doing. Our goal with the PureTick Pit Training Room and A-Z Study Guide is to provide traders with a risk-free environment and easy access to experts and resources, so they can learn from the best, real-time.

Unlike other online trading rooms, PureTick.com is built around the principles of training, education and community. To help serve our members, we have developed a robust program e-mini trading education program, the Puretick.com Academy, which includes offerings to suit every trader, at every stage of their learning process. In addition to the PureTick Pit and VIP Membership, the program also includes:
  • Puretick@Home : Includes two days training with a PureTick Advisor in the comfort of your own home; A-Z Self Study Guide; Chart Set-Up in Ninja or TradeStation; three hours of post mentorship support. Cost: $4999 for two days (or $6199 for three days)
  • Puretick Mastery : Includes five days of hands-on training with Alex Wasilewski in Destin, Florida; A-Z Self-Study Guide; Chart Set-Up in Ninja or TradeStation; Triggers & Filters; three hours of post mentorship support. Cost: $9999
  • Eight Week Online Academy Offering This is for traders that prefer self-study and includes and eight week online trading course; two hours of time spent with both a trading coach and mindset coach plus a $500 credit towards any PureTick.com live event. Cost: $3999

For more information about PureTick.com go to http://www.puretick.com/ or call 1800-GO-LONG.

SOURCE PureTick.com