Urban Fashion – The Ultimate Fashion Statement Of The New Generation

A distinctive style of dressing originated among the African American youths centering the cities of Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta, Virginia etc. This style of dressing is known as the Hip Hop fashion or the urban fashion. Urban fashion, as we know it today is not the product of one single city, but all the cities have added some flavor of their own to make it popular. In general, this fashion is closely related to the expressions and the attributes of the hip hop culture. Urban fashion has evolved with the passage of time and it has made its own mark in the fashion world. In the present times it is accepted and followed by people of all ethnicity.

In the 1990s, Tommy Hilfiger was one of the most celebrated and prominent brands regarding sportswear though other brands like Nautica, DKNY, Calvin Klein etc were also popular. When Snoopy Doggy Dogg, the famous American rapper wore a Hilfiger sweatshirt during his performance on Saturday Night Live, all the stocks of that particular shirt were sold out the very next day from the New York City stores. This incident clearly shows the popularity of urban fashion among the American youth population.

The first one to set the trend of the emerging hip hop fashion is Karl Kani. He started a completely new fashion movement by combining his passions, and thereby he was followed by many fashion designers in the near future. In the late 90s many hip hop artists launched their own fashion labels and clothing lines, for instance, Russell Simmons (Phat Farm), Diddy (Sean John), 50Cent (G-Unit Clothing) etc. This fashion genre has been dominated by the upcoming urban clothing lines and will continue to do so.

However, nowadays in the world of the hip hop fashion there has been a resurgence of the old fads with the emerging new ones. In the last few years of the last decade music artists popularized the trend of getting tattoos all over the body. Tygart, Soulja Boy etc are some of the typical examples. Though tattoos have been much common in the film industry, but it has never been of much importance in the hip hop industry.

In spite of its huge popularity, the urban fashion had to face much criticism from the commentators of both the inside and outside communities, regarding the cost of the accouterments of this specific fashion. Some even expressed disappointment regarding expensive hip hop or urban fashion brands in several magazines.

Future Online Video for UK Business: Online Multimedia, Content Creation and Fast Distribution

Companies streaming videos online are showing an exponential increase in usage. Year on year the figures keep rising. Two key contributing factors are:

• Better broadband speeds

• Development of efficient backbone networks that speed delivery of content by providers

The future of online video for business will surely continue to increase. This market is truly lucrative and has been compared by some to the dot com boom of 2000.

Within the UK, our digital industries pull in around 10% of the country’s GDP, which equates to the princely sum of approximately £130 billion. With the digital economy employing near to 2 million people, this represents nearly 6% of total UK employment. The UK also has the largest creative sector within the EU and is a real force within the global market. The demand for creative content is also a growing industry, in particular, content in English.

The Prime Minister just announced his ambitions to make the UK have Europe’s best superfast broadband by 2015 and also, to turn a corner of east London into a Tech City. The UK’s answer to Silicon Valley.

Some Interesting and Relevant Stats from The Oxford Research Agency:

• 85% of the UK is now online

• A Third have uploaded to a Video Sharing Site

• 85% watch Video Clips Online

• A Quarter write Blogs

• In the Past Year the number of people watching TV Online has grown by 600%

• 78 of UK user look online before making a purchase

All these contributing factors make the future of creative online content creation a veritable gold mine. Figures show that this growth is set to continue by an estimated 4% each year.

The future of the internet will mean that every user can become a multimedia producer. It has never been easier to produce a whole variety of media from publishing pictures, video recordings, slideshows and podcasts. It is also just as easy when it comes to uploading content and of course sharing which is inherently what makes online communities so popular.

Content distribution will be available over a whole host of networks; this streamed content will be available on everything from mobile smart phones to high-definition home theatres.

A full integration of all our online media is just around the corner with everyone wanting everything in one location, storage and distribution will be effortless.

Many businesses are slowly coming round to the fact, that they may be better, to move with the times rather than hold off any more. We can expect to see a vast increase in video streaming suppliers and content creators. TV as we know is slowly making way for a more interactive and connected internet TV platform. Television advertising revenues in the UK are showing a continued decline. The rate of revenue in 2009 was down to £3.54bn, to put this in context this was lower than the market in 2003.

As the UK technology industry continues to grow this can hopefully act as a catalyst to help other UK businesses take advantage of a highly skilled local workforce and reap the benefits of this digital revolution.

University Devry’s Online Bachelor Degree Programs Review

University Devry is a brick & mortal university founded on 1931 as a film and radio repair teaching establishment. Today, it has become one of the top ranking and the largest university that run for profit in United States. The degree programs offered by the university cover almost every career fields. In conjunction with the growth of online education, University Devry has followed the technology trend to offer online degree programs for students who prefer to earn their degree through online media. Here we will review the major online bachelor degree programs offered by University Devry.

By understanding the tight working schedule and family commitment for today’s working individuals, University Devry opens most of their class-based degree programs to online students so that they can pursue their degree from anywhere and at anytime that fit the best to their schedule. Most of online bachelor degree programs offered by University Devry are focus on technology-based and career-oriented which will prepare students to earn their related career degree to compete in the constant changing working environment of today’s businesses and industries.

University Devry offers 5 online bachelor degree programs for online students and each bachelor degree programs have various concentrations for students to choose one that best fit their needs. The bachelor online degree programs offers are:

[1] Business Administration Degrees

The online bachelor degrees in business administration have 12 concentrations for you to choose from. These concentrations are: Accounting, Business Information Systems, Finance, Health Services Management, Hospitality Management, Human Resource Management, Operations Management, Project Management, Sales & Marketing, Security Management, Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship and Technical Communication. The business administration degrees prepare the students for the required credential to increase their competitive edge in making a success in their career.

[2] Computer Information Systems

University Devry offers career-oriented computer information systems degrees for online students. Among the concentrations that designed specially to help their students meet their career goal are: Business/Management, Computer Forensics, Database Management, Information Systems Security, Systems Analysis and Integration, Web Development and Administration.

[3] Game & Simulation Programming

Gaming and software simulation industries are in the rapid grow trend, the market is in highly demand for graduates in this major. If you choose to pursue online bachelor degree majoring in game & simulation programming, you can even select to master in one of the programming languages such as C++ and C#, artificial intelligence, industry-standard software packages, game engine development, and much more so that you can be expert in an area of your interest.

[4] Network and Communications Management

In today’s modem businesses, nearly every business depends on network. This career fields require experts to effectively manage the network and communication infrastructure. Hence there are huge career opportunities for those who are interested in this career field. University Devry offers the online option on bachelor degree in Network and Communication Management to prepare students with the necessary skills and knowledge to success in this career field.

[5] Technical Management

If you are interested to start your career in the fastest growing field of Criminal Justice and Healthcare Industries, then you might want to consider the online bachelor degree in technical management. The degree has two specializations for your choose from. You can choose to major in either Criminal Justice or Health Information Management depends on your area of interest.

Summary

The online bachelor degree programs offered by University Devry which focus on technology-based and career-oriented prepare the online students with the required skills and knowledge for their selected career field.

Why You Should Consider a Career in Culinary Arts

Are you a certified foodie? Do you always have well-attended parties because of the food you serve? You definitely should think about a career in culinary arts.

You may be earning well in your current profession, but does the job make you happy? Your love for food and your passion for preparing them can actually give you a much better career than what you have right now. Even if there is a growing number of culinary professionals nowadays, there is always room for one more.

If people have been telling you to become a chef or try your hand in the restaurant business, give it some thought. If you are undecided which area of the culinary arts you want to concentrate on, you may get yourself an associate degree in culinary arts. The programs under it are geared towards training you with the basics. There are some programs however, that give you a taste of some specialized area like baking. This is a good education option that can actually help you see which definite area of the culinary arts you want to pursue. After you have established your interests, you will be ready to go further with your education and get a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts.

Cooking schools and culinary institutes will also give you courses on business and give you the needed exposure through internship programs. These methods will more than prepare you for the competitive culinary arts industry.

It does not happen often when one makes a living doing what he wants. Most of the time, people struggle to go to work because they are stuck with jobs that do not stimulate their interests, except of course for the paycheck that come with them. It is important to understand though that if you want to consider a career in the culinary arts, it can mean spending plenty of time in the workplace. Culinary professionals are generally workaholics. They work long hours and most of the work is physically demanding. It does not exactly mean that you need to lift heavy boxes most of the day, but some work would entail you to roll several pounds of dough or mix barrelful of ingredients. Plus, holidays are mostly the “must work” days and your weekends could become nonexistent, not to mention your social life.

This reality would scare anyone. Some people will be proud and happy to have some other kind of job. But for those who have the genuine passion to cook and the ultimate fondness for preparing food, these are all part of the satisfaction that comes with the job. Most culinary professionals say that the industry is only for those crazy enough to take on the hard and exhausting work. But their job gives them the self-fulfillment that they can not find anywhere else.

Cold Calling Rituals for Commercial Real Estate Brokers

When it comes to getting traction in commercial real estate brokerage, you should make a ritual of cold calling each and every day at the same time. The creation of a habit is important to the process.

You could say that the prospecting and cold calling process is a bit like going to the gym every day. You can’t miss out for one day otherwise you’ll fall back in results and lose traction. If you want to find more clients and listings, you will need to make a ritual of the prospecting process.

It’s a bit like making an appointment with yourself to set aside the time to do the required things every day. You book yourself into your diary to do the hard work and the prospecting effort.

Here is an interesting comment for you.

Show me one agent or broker that is consistently prospecting on a daily basis, and I’ll show you 10 that are not.

It directly follows that only the best in the industry really do get their prospecting efforts under control. Over time that converts to better clients and quality listings.

So how can you make a ritual of this process? Here are some ideas to help:

  1. Determine why some clients and prospects should talk to you when you make the telephone call, or drop into their business. What value do you bring to the market that is so special and unique from a sales, leasing, or property management perspective? The best agents and brokers are not generic, and you should similarly position yourself. Understand the unique value that you do take to the market and the profile of the clients that you serve. Be prepared to talk to the challenges and the situations that every property owner, business proprietor, or client struggles with today. A client or a prospect will listen to you when your conversation is relevant and real to the prevailing market conditions.
  2. It is a fact that you will need to make many calls and speak to many people to get a few meetings. Consistency and regularity will help you convert more meetings over time. Practice will help the professionalism of first contact and meeting conversions.
  3. If you want to make a lot of calls, you will need to do the research beforehand. That research should be done outside of business hours so that you do not slow down the prospecting process. Preparation is the key to momentum. In that way you will talk to far more people during the allotted two or three hours each day.
  4. Capture the issues and the comments of people that you talk to. The easiest way to do that is to use a standard form or booklet as part of the process. At the end of the day you can enter the information into your database for future follow-up.
  5. Learn how to converse over the telephone rather than pitch your services. The conversational process will get you far more meeting opportunities over time. You can practice this activity at your regular sales team meetings each week. Every broker or agent will have experiences and challenges to use as part of a role playing activity.

If you were learning how to play the piano, you would expect that a fair amount of practice would be required. The same principle applies to making cold calls and prospecting. When you practice, you improve, and that’s when you create more meetings. It’s a very rewarding industry for those brokers and agents that can get this process under control.

The Internet Is A Goldmine For Those Who Know How To Start An Internet Business

The internet is the best medium for a new breed of entrepreneurs who want to make a lot of money when they know how to start an Internet business. Starting a business on the Internet is easier than starting a business offline as it is cheaper and needs very little upfront money. Any person with the right type of mindset, motivation and determination can build their own Internet based business and become successful. But you cannot become successful overnight by just knowing how to start an Internet business.

When you want to start your own business as an alternative employment or as an additional means of income, then starting an Internet business is the best possible way. But before starting the process you must be very clear about certain facts and you must have a perfect mindset that is required for starting and running your Internet business. Thousands of people attempt to start their Internet business without proper knowledge of how to start an Internet business and run it successfully to attain their business goals. Due to this, failure on the Internet are growing by millions while a small percentage of the Internet business owners attain enormous success.

Starting a business on the Internet is like opening a business in the real world and you must have a product or a service that you can market and sell on the Internet. But by the nature of the Internet there are enormous opportunities to enter into a niche market of your own and easily establish yourself there. When you do the research to know how to start an Internet business you will understand that the whole process starts with the selection of your niche market. Then you can easily find your target market, and design your products for that target market and think of ways to promote your product or service to those in your target market.

When you want to start a business on the Internet, the process starts with identification of your niche market, and your target market. Then designing and defining the product to satisfy their needs comes next. After this you must know how to reach and market your product or service to those in your target market. For this you must have a Website, and must be able to promote the same so that those who need your products or services are able to find it on the Internet. These are the basic needs when you want to know how to do business on the Internet.

Sound Technology Online – A Higher Education

Schools and colleges are growing and providing a better means for all students to gain an education by offering online programs. Students who are interested in pursuing a career in the exciting field of recording may look to an online sound technology program. With an online education students will train for employment in the entertainment or music industry working with equipment to produce DVD’s, CD’s, and sound for television and more. As a sound technician student you can learn the use of technology and the various types of equipment needed to create recordings. Technicians and other degree holders in this field utilize computer software and other equipment to mix and record music and sound effects. Degrees in sound technology are available at several levels including associates, bachelors, and masters.

There are a number of online schools that offer training for associate degree programs. Online instruction in sound technology can provide students with the training and experience they need for a career in engineering technology and audio recording. An accredited associate’s degree program for sound technology usually includes somewhere around 72 semester credit hours that can be completed in one to two years. Coursework for a student pursuing an associate’s degree may include the study of:

  • analog and digital recording devices
  • audio mixing techniques
  • digital recording, audio mastering
  • analog tape recording
  • post-recording engineering

and more. Students can train to become sound engineers, CD mastering engineers, audio recording engineers, or continue their education and receive a bachelor’s degree.

A bachelor’s degree in sound technology usually takes four years for completion and requires students to complete 120 to 130 credit hours. Students can train for a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) which is the most desired degree in the field of sound technology. Those looking to earn a bachelors degree in this field should have strong skills and academic records in areas such as math and science. Some online educational programs may require students to study:

  • physics of acoustics
  • audio production methods
  • amplification
  • sound mixing
  • recording technology

and other areas of study. With an accredited degree at this level students can expect to start a career as a sound engineering technician, or pursue a master’s degree.

Students who wish to earn a masters degree in sound technology must hold a bachelors degree in the field in order to be accepted into a program at this level. There are a variety of online schools that offer a Master of Fine Art in sound technology. With online training students will be required to complete around 60 credit hours, which may take six semesters to finish. Study at this level allows students to focus on specific areas of sound technology including creative sound strategies and psychoacoustics. Coursework will also include:

  • Multitrack audio recording
  • advanced sound synthesis
  • digital audio recording technology

and much more. With a masters degree from an online school students can train to become a record company executive, senior sound engineer, or record producer.

Students who choose to obtain an associate’s, bachelors, or master’s degree can earn a desirable income. The United States Department of Labor states that the median annual salary for an audio or sound engineering technician was around $38,110 in the year 2004, and the median annual salary for an audio equipment technician was $32,570. This income level is rising and will continue to rise as the entertainment industry grows.

With an accredited degree from an online school you can train for an exciting new career in the field of sound technology. Full accreditation is provided to various schools and colleges that meet certain criteria. Agencies like the Distance Education and Training Council (http://www.detc.org) are approved to accredit online educational training programs.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Finding the Right College Student Loan

Are you getting ready to go to college? If so, you should be aware of the many different college student loans available today. Paying for school can be tough and sometimes you need that little extra help. With a college student loan you can achieve that goal.

Many people can find themselves still paying off college loans ten years after they graduate. This is sometimes because they didn’t fully know what they were getting into when they applied for a college student loan. A college student loan has to be repaid at some point but you also end up paying the interest.

We all know education is expensive, no matter which route you choose. You might have a scholarship or grant but these alone do not always cover your college costs. This is where you might consider getting a student loan.

A scholarship or grant will pay for your tuition but what about your dorm and books and just living expenses in general? This is where a college student loan can come in handy. It can help you pay your way through college comfortably but not excessively.

There are different types of college student loans you need to be aware of. Federal Student Loans: These are loans that the government funds. These are quite popular among college students and can come with different benefits. You might get a lower interest rate, fees and flexible repayment terms.

There are other loans considered a Federal Student Loan such as: Stafford loans, Perkins loans and Sallie Mae college student loans. Many of these loans give you the option of not repaying your loan until you have completed school.

Private Student Loans: This type of loan is usually based on your credit score. The lenders that offer this type of loan have no federal tie. There are many lenders that offer private student loans such as Bank of America or Wells Fargo. These private college student loans can fill in the space between monies received from federal loans or other financial aid forms.

Bad Credit Student Loans: These help many students that have bad credit afford to go to school. You can apply for a fast student loan, loans that require no credit check or even direct loans. You might choose these options if you are worried your credit is not good enough.

Student Loan Consolidation: This is a way for students to pay their bills and loans off faster. This loan will combine every bill and leave you with one single payment.

You might look into loan forgiveness programs if you have not so perfect credit. These programs will take away all your debt in return for you volunteering in a program and even signing up for the military.

You always want to make your payments on time. Keep your account status in good standing and this will also help improve your credit score and history as well.

College student loans can be risky if not looked into with great detail. Ask any questions or concerns you might have to your lender, and always be one hundred percent sure you picked the right student loan before signing on any dotted lines. You could end up paying off your college student loan for a good twenty years after you graduate if you aren’t careful.

Top 5 Reasons Home Schooling is Better Than Traditional Education

In just the past decade alone the popularity of home schooling has grown in leaps and bounds and has begun to revolutionize the world of learning and education. As we know, the great importance of a child’s education simply cannot be emphasized enough. But, for many parents, the public school system has not lived up to their expectations leaving them to take matters into their own hands and home school their children.

Here are the five top reasons home schooling is considered by many parents and guardians to be better than traditional education.

5. Home Schooling Offers More Time to Learn

Whether it’s taking attendance, preparing for activities, changing classrooms, passing out supplies, collecting homework, listening to announcements or perhaps the biggest time waster of all, discipline, in a traditional school, the bulk of a child’s day is wasted on things of absolutely no relevance to them. Home schooling, on the other hand, allows for all of the time to be spent on none other than learning.

4. Home Schooling Gives Parents More Control Over Curriculum

In some areas, parents are allowed to create their own curriculum as they see fit while in others a set schedule must be followed. Parents can vary the methods of teaching based on subject, the child’s learning ability, or a combination of both. And, although it is perfectly legal in both the US and the UK, specifications will vary from one state to the next so be sure to learn those before beginning.

3. Home Schooling Creates Time for Bonding

One of the main complaints of parents today is not having enough quality time with their children. With the fast paced lives many of us lead coupled with extracurricular activities and work there’s often little time for parents and kids to actually talk and listen to one another.

Creating a strong bond between parent and child early on lessens the chances of trouble down the road as children are faced with things like peer pressure, changing bodies and hormones, stress at school, and problems with friends, just to name a few.

2. Home Schooling Offers Flexibility

It allows parents to choose the schedules and times for learning, both in terms of hours as well as months. Some parents choose to home school their kids year round while others follow the more traditional schedule of August or September until May or June.

Beyond the aspect of time flexibility, it also allows for adapting the curriculum to each child’s learning style or capabilities. Children are all individuals and should be encouraged to continuing exploring their individuality and uniqueness. One child may learn better through hearing and listening while another might progress better through reading and home schooling allows the parent to tailor the curriculum accordingly to encourage success.

1. Home Schooling Allows for Individualized Attention

Overcrowded classrooms, stressed teachers, and children with discipline problems are all common in schools today. All children can thrive and excel when given individualized attention, something that just isn’t possible in the public school system.

Although home schooling is definitely a personal choice that must be made, the benefits of educating children at home are hard to dispute.

What You Should Expect From A Children’s Disco Entertainer: The Legal Stuff

Public Liability Insurance

Is this necessary? Yes

A brief explanation: Public Liability Insurance or PLI for short is a type of insurance. This protects the entertainer in the event of unexpected injury or damage arising from his performance. Although it is uncommon for a venue to ask for PLI, it does happen from time to time and you should be wary of an entertainer who isn’t prepared to protect himself in this way. In addition, companies who offer PLI often offer equipment cover too, so a lack of PLI could mean that the entertainer doesn’t have insurance for their own equipment either. If their equipment isn’t insured then this should ring alarm bells; if they’re not prepared to look after their own equipment properly, will they take appropriate care with your little ones?

CRB check

Is this necessary? It is desirable but not technically necessary.

Brief explanation: CRB check stands for Criminal Records Bureau check, and many adults who frequently work with children are required to have had one. There are two levels of CRB check; “Standard” or “Enhanced”.

Although some venues ask to see a CRB certificate, it is generally advised that only the person responsible for hiring the entertainer should see the CRB certificate.

Entertainers aren’t strictly required to have a CRB check in the same way as the cast of a theatre show, for example, because they are only responsible for entertaining the children, not actually looking after or supervising them.

However, a lot of entertainers have taken it upon themselves to obtain one simply to add credibility to their show and to give parents the peace of mind that comes with it.

Portable Appliance Testing

Is this necessary? Yes

Brief Explanation: The entertainer should have his equipment Portable Appliance Tested, or PAT for short, every year. This test checks that his or her equipment is electrically safe to use. As church halls, school halls and other party venues can vary in terms of their own electrical safety features, it is important that the entertainer’s equipment is safe to use in all venues, thus eliminating any electrical risk from potentially faulty equipment.

Summary

In the case of a PAT, CRB check or PLI, the entertainer will be able to provide you with a certificate of proof. Some venues require some or all of this information, so you should be wary of any entertainer who is unable to provide these if given a reasonable timescale to do so.

Thanks for reading!