The Kid Casino

According to the U.S. Census Department, approximately fifty-four million Americans are disabled, or have considered themselves disabled at one time or another. While this number represents a large percentage of the workforce, the vast majority of individuals with disabilities are unemployed. In fact, about seventy percent of Americans with disabilities who want to work are unemployed. Of the remaining thirty percent, only a fraction is gainfully employed full-time.

As a result, people with disabilities are almost twice as likely to start their own businesses as their non-disabled counterparts.

Only eight percent of non-disabled workers are self-employed, whereas fourteen percent of workers with disabilities are self-employed.

As an entrepreneur with a disability, I fall into the latter group. Unable to find gainful employment in my community, I sought to create my own place. The turning point came when two years of aggressive work search that yielded nothing finally led me to consider a receptionist’s position. Despite my college education, my formidable oral and written communication skills, my business management experience and a private consulting endeavor, I felt as though answering the phone for a living was the only option left. Unfortunately, even that door was closed to me. Unwilling to schedule an in-person interview until he satisfied his curiosity, the potential employer grilled me via telephone first.

“So, how do you people do things? How can you answer phones? Our phones are complicated. They have buttons on them. How could you transfer calls or place calls? How would you know what the buttons were?”

Astounded, I didn’t bother to point out that I was speaking to him by phone right then, and that I placed the call all by myself. Furthermore, with the latest technological advances, such as Braille, invented in the 19th Century, it was very likely that despite a steep learning curve requiring intense training, eventually I might make an adequate receptionist. Instead, I thanked him for his time, and left him to his ignorance.

Attitudes such as his finally prompted me to start my own business, which is a small yet satisfying sole proprietorship. In educating others as to the myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities and related workplace issues and hiring practices, I’ve discovered that many small business owners still tend to believe the worst about the Americans with Disabilities Act and how it can affect their business.

It is a myth that the Americans with Disabilities Act mandates costly construction and architectural renovation. Rather, the ADA is a guideline that among other things, attempts to provide for equal access to public buildings by removing barriers to that access.

Small business owners who are unfamiliar with the tenets of the ADA believe that compliance means budget-busting expenses to benefit a small group who will not elevate their bottom line in any significant way. They seem to prefer to do nothing and wait until they receive a complaint, threat of litigation, or worse . . . have a sheaf of legal documents served to them.

Why should a small business make changes? It is a mistake to believe that all people with disabilities are poor, and therefore cannot afford your products or services. It is a myth that people with disabilities have no disposable income and no desire to spend it. If an individual who does not drive because they are blind, or who uses a wheelchair arrives at your place of business, you can be assured they are a qualified customer. Chances are, that individual went to great effort just to get to your establishment, so ensure that they do not leave your business empty handed.

In the workplace, accommodating the particular needs of an employee with a disability need not be expensive. The ADA sets forth that “reasonable accommodations” be made so as to enable an individual to competently perform the duties required. An employer is not expected to provide state-of-the-art equipment, nor is the company required to fill a long wish list of gadgets and gizmos. In fact, there are numerous alternative funding sources and service organizations for this purpose.

If a small business finds that accommodating a disability poses an undue hardship, they are not required to fulfill the legal obligation; however, a business owner or manager might be surprised to learn just how easy it can be to meet a minimum. Secondhand or donated equipment, whether current or somewhat less so, is considered “reasonable.” As long as the accommodations help the employee to get the job done, that’s all that is needed. Instead of purchasing a custom-made, specialty ergonomic desk configuration to accommodate a wheelchair, raising the existing desk on blocks may be sufficient.

Taking the time to understand the truth about people who are potential customers as well as employees can tremendously enhance your business, as well as your personal growth. Even if you have no opportunity to hire a candidate with a disability, make your business a disabled-friendly establishment. Keep in mind that attitudinal barriers can be as seemingly insurmountable as the physical barriers. As a business owner, you are a leader in your community, and can set an example that will benefit both your image and your bottom line.

Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

Laura Gillson is a speaker, author and educator specializing in disability awareness, advocacy, accessibility and assistive technology. For corporate, community or caregiver training, visit Eloquent Insights at http://www.eloquentinsights.com If you need help with in-home care, you’ll find it at In-Home Insights at http://www.inhomeinsights.com Finally, you’ll discover a site for sore eyes at Accessible Insights at http://www.accessibleinsights.com The author’s email address is lgillson@eloquentinsights.com

Let’s say you’re the editor of a magazine called “Sex Under the Fir Trees” and you receive an unsolicited manuscript titled “How to Get Barnacles off Your Boat,” what are you going to do?

Whether you laugh, cry, or use industrial-strength profanity, the result’s the same for the writer: a form rejection slip.

The writing guidelines for most publications advise prospective contributors to read the publication first and learn about its style, focus, viewpoint, and previously covered topics before sending in an unsolicited article.

Many writers skip this step. It takes time. Copies of the publication cost money or require an online registration. It delays completion of the article the writer wants to write.

Haste makes waste.

If it looks like you don’t even know what kinds of articles a magazine (or Ezine) uses, then the editor is not only going to reject your work out of hand, but he’ll also wonder if you know what you’re talking about.

Generally speaking, most novice writers don’t sell many articles without demonstrating that they: (a) know the publication, (b) know the subject, and (c) are willing to pitch an article idea to the editor rather than sending it in blindly.

Knowing a Publication

Volumes can be written about this. What does a typical issue include? What have they already covered? Do they have theme issues each year that dictate what some or all of the articles are going to be about? Do they have an editorial calendar that maps out plans for the upcoming 6-12 months? Do they use long, serious articles or do they use light, how-to articles, or both? Do they use freelancers?

Knowing the Subject

Let’s suppose you’ve read every issue of Sex Under the Fir Trees and know their style, focus and requirements pretty well. You decide to submit an article called “Subalpine Firs and Grand Firs in Glacier National Park.”

Assuming that the editor doesn’t think this is too narrow (or too obscure) a focus for his magazine, he’s still going to ask: WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS FOR WRITING THIS ARTICLE?

Do you have a degree in forestry? Do you work for the National Park Service at Glacier as a ranger, forest management specialist or in a related field? Have you developed an expertise in the subject through years or research and personal experience?

If not, why should the editor publish your article? Why would the readers want to read it, much less trust it?
Whether you send an article in blind or whether you pitch the idea first, demonstrating your credentials is always priority number one.

Asking for an Assignment

Most editors depend on a trusted, dependable group of staff writers, guest experts, and often-used freelancers for most of their material. They don’t sit around waiting for somebody they’ve never heard of to send in exactly the thing they are looking for at the exact moment they need it.

If you are psychic or if you have planted a bug in the magazine’s office, you might know months in advance that the editor of Sex Under the Fir Trees wants to publish an article later this year about the identification of flat needle conifers.

If you’re not psychic, not adept at wiretapping, and have no credentials in the world of needles and cones, you’re either not going to know what the editor wants, or knowing it isn’t going to help you.

Once you know a publication that fits into your areas of expertise and experience, pitch your article idea to the editor rather than writing something up and sending it in.

First, when you pitch (propose) an article idea to an editor, s/he immediately sees that: (a) you’re approaching the magazine as a professional, (b) you aren’t wasting your valuable time researching and writing something the s/he may not use, (c) you’re asking the editor “what do YOU want in your magazine” rather than assuming s/he will like something randomly sent in.

Next, let’s say you’ve sent the editor a well-written cover letter that demonstrates why your proposed article is vital or interesting, how you will approach the topic, and why the magazine’s readers might use or enjoy such an article. And let’s say that you’ve included a writing sample and some great information about your expertise and experience, now what?

You want the editor to say, “yes, write the article.” But you also hope the editor will offer valuable guidance that helps ensure the article really will meet the magazine’s needs.

Perhaps you’ve proposed an article about pine needles AND pine cones: the editor might say, leave out the pine cones, we’re already working on that one. The editor also might suggest a slightly different focus or a longer article than you initially planned. Show your openness to the editor’s ideas in your cover letter.

The first time an editor says, “yes, send me your article,” s/he will probably stipulate that you are sending it in on speculation, that is, without a guarantee that it will be used. Once an article or two is published, the editor will see that you can deliver what s/he wants. Then, the next pitched article may result in a more formal assignment.

In time, the editor might start pitching ideas to you: “Bob, we need an article about the Douglas-fir. How would you like to send us about 2,000 words on the largest examples of this tree in Oregon and Washington?”

Now you’re where you want to be.

Malcolm R. Campbell, a former college journalism instructor and corporate communications director, is the author of the mountain adventure novel “The Sun Singer.” His writing tips are posted regularly on Writing, Montana & More.

The truth is absolute. The truth is relative. The truth is both and you grow weary of this game. If my truth is absolute and yours is relative, we will agree on nothing, except perhaps, we each have a right to our belief and to disagree. If we don’t agree about this, you are wrong, of course. Off course. Way off.

If we agree on nothing then, why don’t you just get lost? No! Don’t go! Come back! I was wrong. (Got you now!) Don’t you agree? See, I knew there must be things we can agree on. It suddenly struck me we must agree about choice, and that choice comes in two flavors, conscious and unconscious. I made a conscious choice to drive you away and another to call you back. You made a conscious choice to go away and another to return. We agree that we make conscious choices. At some time we may have made a conscious decision to breathe. But we have not made it on any regular basis, so breathing today must be an unconscious choice. Since we agree about choice, we can say we believe what we choose to believe. You have chosen to believe in relative truth and I have chosen to believe in absolute truth. The same is true about our other core beliefs, like creation versus evolution. The question now becomes, why do you and I choose differently? I say we choose to achieve a desired outcome. We sense or know there is a consequence to our chosen belief; maybe more than one. These consequences can be quite predictable.

To believe life is a random event relieves one of responsibility. What will be will be. It does not matter what one wants or what one does, so one is free. Such freedom feels good even if it results in self victimization, as it often does. Look at those absolutist suckers! They are driven as madmen. I’m so glad I’m not one.

To be an absolutist is to quite naturally assume responsibility. One is here for a reason. One thinks one knows what that reason is. If one doesn’t, it will come. If it doesn’t come, one will seek it. One finds patterns and structure for life. One finds comfort in those patterns and structures. Look at those relativist suckers! They don’t have a clue. I’m so glad I’m not one.

Now we see we know intuitively why we choose any belief. We are choosing between likely consequences. You might have been an absolutist like your dad. You could not stand that sense of being driven. You noticed the relativists seldom were. You wanted what they had and you made a new choice. Somehow you knew how lucky you were to learn you could change your choice of belief. You have seen people much older than you, who lived as though the choice they made was the only one possible. You even sense that someone else made this choice for them.

Because of the choices we make, we don’t fit in everywhere. We are most comfortable with others who have made the same choices. When the absolutist hears a new truth, it rings like a bell. It brings her joy. It creates changes in behavior. It drives her on to new truths. She shares this new truth with her relativist neighbor and the neighbor could not care less. There is a great ball game on TV and he doesn’t want to miss another minute. Before she knew about making choices, she might have considered becoming a relativist, so she could enjoy TV with her neighbor. But now she is sure it’s OK to be different. We can be tolerant of those who choose differently. If we seek those who have made the same choices we have, we will find them.

All would be well if everyone knew they make choices based on the likely outcomes. Everybody doesn’t know. Many believe if the choice isn’t a conscious one, none has been made. Most of us have met someone who appears to be unable to decide anything. They think the universe chooses for them. We call them victims. They often agree to the label and they often act the part, their entire lives. If you tell them that is a choice they have made, based on the likely consequence, they will tell you, you don’t know what you are talking about. We call this denial. There is something about these folks that evokes our sympathy. Much of society wants to help them and believe they had no choice and have none now. We see they are in a hopeless trap. We reach out to release them and they bite us. We are reminded.

Everyone chooses and they choose for the consequences. Truth has value for them only in respect to their choice. If the truth undermines or exposes their choice, they will have none of it. Give them the sympathy they desire and get on with your life, relative or absolute. Absolutists take heart. Majorities count for nothing.

Ed Howes sought and found, knocked and entered. Now he sees things differently. To see more of what he sees, please visit http://www.justanotherview.com or do an author search here at Ezine Articles.

How often do you find yourself wishing you could find true
love?

Unfortunately, you’re not alone. With millions of singles out
there, why is it so hard for most singles to find true love? It’s
just human nature. We usually don’t hit it off with many
people. The reality of the situation is that most of us are only
compatible with few people we meet. And worse, the ones
that we can get along with may not be attracted to us; it’s just
as likely for us not to find them attractive.

If you’re like most singles, you probably spend too much time
alone… much more than you would like. Some singles are
just fine being alone, but most end up being unhappy and
alone. Why? A big part of the problem is that many singles
expect someone special to find them. It’s so common for
singles to think: “I just have to be patient. Someday, love will
find me.”

Maybe it has something to do with the fairy tales we used to
believe in when we were young. Unfortunately, in our not-quite-so-fairy-tale real life, the prince or princess will probably not be
coming someday… maybe not ever! And the “frog” you’ve
been kissing is not going to turn into a handsome prince or a
beautiful princess anytime soon.

Be honest! Do you really expect true love to find you? How
long have you been waiting and hoping for this to happen? And
how is that working for you? Maybe it’s time for you to have a
different plan.

There’s no need to keep hoping and waiting for true love to find
you. You can take control of your love life and your social life.
Make it easier on yourself to find that special someone…
sooner rather than later. How? You can take advantage of
online dating services. Millions of singles now have found true
love online — even those who never thought they could.

Finding someone special doesn’t have to be that hard. You’ll
be just as happy if you find your true love quickly and easily.
There’s no reward for doing it the hard way.

Don’t let your fears hold you back. If you’re serious about
wanting to find true love, join one of the dating services
available online. It’s usually free to browse and check out
interesting singles. You owe it to yourself to just do it. You
can meet new friends to hang out with. You can meet
someone to date or you can meet your soul mate. You
deserve to find your true love. You deserve to have more fun!

Allie Mendoza specializes in strategies that get results faster, easier and cheaper. To learn strategies for making online dating work for you faster, easier and cheaper, click http://www.bestonlinedatingservices411.com/advice.index.htm. Get tips on dating better and safer online. Learn how to write an interesting and effective personal ad that gets more responses.

www.currencies.co.uk is GB’s leading independent foreign currency brokers, Foreign Currency Direct have been around since the year 2000 They are now experts in the sector and own a fantastic team of assistants that can be found all set and waiting to support you yourself with almost everything one may require.

The company offer one off overseas payment, so if one need to shift a lump sum abroad. Foreign Currency Direct may supply one with a specialist account manager to oversee all of the aspects of the current transaction. Saving up to 0.04 if compared to median prices sold through high street agents can only make the transaction noticeably more economic as well as strain free. the company also offer spot contracts targeted at settlement within 2 working days and it’s instant movement to the bank account folk specify, or maybe a forward contracts to guarantee a currency exchange rate targeted at the future, for instance, when any properties completion are timed in some months time, by owning a forward contract people may know how much GBP’s one can need for a future requirement in a foreign currency.

currencies.co.uk additionally have knowledge in scheduled overseas transfers, if folk have a Euro mortgage for France, Spain or conceivably Portugal there timed payment plan is an extraordinary method to bring down your monthly GBP cost. FCD offer free payments for transfers and also zero bank charges for payment beyond 300 quid. Lastly www.currencies.co.uk are specialists in moving foreign money home to the U.K., should one’s selling said offshore homes and also require to channel a different countries currency back home to the GB in pounds, then currencies.co.uk might aid you. Customers will utilise an practiced account managers that could share their capable knowledge with folk and help you yourself make all your required arrangements. Foreign Currency Direct offer currency exchange services, so get in contact with one of their dealers to secure a great exchange rate.

Treadmills can bring the outside into your own living room. Sounds ideal doesn’t it. You can run 10 miles withour leaving your house. But can treadmill running deliver the same benefits as training outdoors?

Treadmill running differs from road running in a number of ways and this should be considered when training. The first obvious difference is the lack of wind resistance when running indoors. Another difference is the surface. Although experts differ on this issue a smooth moving surface underneath your feet is not the same as an uneven stationary road. Most runners agree that running on a treadmill feels different to road. This should be taken into consideration when training.

Is running on a treadmill better than the road? This comes down to preference. Many prefer being outdoors whereas others have environmental, climatic or personal safety concerns making treadmill running an ideal choice.

Firstly let’s look at the psychological factors of running on a treadmill compared to the road. Unless you have a large room for your machine you will most likely to be facing a wall or window within a few meters. Research has shown that runners on treadmills take shorter paces that may be due to the proximity of a barrier or fear of falling off. It does take time to learn how to run on a moving surface and even when confident many runners will tighten their lower backs, again possibly a psychological reaction to staying on the machine.

When comparing physical technique, research has found that when the foot lands on the belt the foot, ankle and shin, become temporarily part of the belt and move backwards from the centre and mass of the body at the same speed. This means the shinbone of the leg landing is not as upright as with normal running and has a greater range of motion.

Treadmill running can be useful for injured athletes, using a mirror can be a good way to observe your technique (although it must be recognised that it is not the same as training on the road).

Whether using a treadmill or road you will need to vary your running program for two reasons. Firstly, if you continue doing the same distance and the same speed you will get less and less benefit as your body adapts. Secondly, you can soon become de-motivated by the same thing week in, week out. Alternating between shorter faster runs and longer distances at a slower pace will help to condition your body and improve endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular function. It will also provide you with variety and a different challenge for each session.

I usually recommend runners to use one or the other exclusively, because I see them as different activities.

Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique and has studied performance enhancement in sport for the last 10 years. In 2001 he published a book called ‘The Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional methods of sports training and exercise’ and is currently working on a new project about The Zone. More information about his unique approach to training can be found at http://www.fitness-programs-for-life.com