Many working individuals recognize the importance of pursuing a degree program that will enhance their careers, but find they are unable to attend on-campus classes. The state of the economy requires employees to obtain specialized skills to be more competitive in the workforce. Job uncertainty is forcing people to seek training that will make them more employable and valuable to employers. Getting an associate degree is a step in the right direction, but traditional college programs do not always fit in with busy life schedules. An online associate degree is the answer for those struggling to maintain a balance between family responsibilities and career demands.

Accounting

A career in accounting requires expert knowledge and skills. Private businesses and government agencies employ those skilled in budget analysis, financial document preparation and business practices. An online associate degree equips graduates to perform accounting tasks in any organization.

Pharmacy Technology

Commercial and hospital pharmacies employ trained pharmacy technicians. An online associate degree in pharmacy technology prepares students for the responsibilities of this job. They receive in-depth course work and hands-on experience necessary for working with a pharmacist. Obtaining this degree is a first step toward taking the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam, which allows them to practice as a certified pharmacy technician.

Paralegal

The legal field offers many opportunities for those interested in law. Private law firms and independent consulting firms employ paralegals to assist in preparing legal documents, doing research and conducting client interviews. An online paralegal degree program is designed to help those interested in a legal career or to advance in an existing position. Advanced training provides paralegals with the opportunity to earn higher salaries and makes them eligible for promotions.

Criminal Justice

While it may not be necessary in some areas, an associate degree in criminal justice is a plus for a police or corrections officer. Even though most police departments require trainees to go through their academy, having a degree gives applicants an advantage. Online programs designed with flexible hours provide the perfect solution for those who work different shifts, but desire to further their education.

Dental Assisting

An online associate degree in dental assisting is ideal for those interested in working in a busy dental office under the supervision of a dentist. Their duties include preparing patients for procedures, sterilizing equipment and performing various front office tasks. Flexible hours make it easier to work while taking courses.

Online education programs enable individuals to achieve their educational goals and enhance their careers. Many become discouraged because they find themselves unable to conform to the requirements of traditional educational programs. Those individuals can take comfort in knowing that alternatives do exist. They can meet the challenge with diligence and perseverance.

Find The Best Dental Plans in Your Area, Top Companies

Full Name*

Phone*

Email*

Please verify your request*

GET INFO

Many of those who seek out stem cell treatments for themselves or for a loved one do it because of either a disease or injury has caused permanent damage of some sort. This treatments have the ability to both change a disease and it’s effects on the patient as well as the ability to lesson the suffering that the patient may be experiencing.

Stem cell treatments are so popular because of the ability that these cells have to “self-renew”. It is widely believed that one day as these treatments will become so advanced that through this treatment diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and diabetes can all be cured as well as a host of other ailments.

Stem cell treatments are one of the safest forms of treatment because of the ability that these cells have to “self-renew”, it is this ability that gives them the potential to create tissues that can replace both damaged and diseased tissues within the body with out carrying the risk of negative side effects as well as possible rejection.

A great number of people seek out stem cell treatments in foreign countries because each country has it’s own way of research as well as different restrictions placed on both the research as well as treatment.

The reason that restrictions on both stem cell treatments and research are in place around the globe is because of the controversy that is currently surrounding the use of embryonic cells. The controversy is about the fact that often times the blastocyst is destroyed. The blastocyst contains the embryoblast, which forms the embryo. Many people object to the destruction based on their own personal philosophical, moral or religious beliefs. They believe that alternative sources should be used.

The alternative sources that are available for the use of stem cell treatments involve the use of milky teeth cells, genetic stimuli cue skin cells, umbilical cord blood or bone marrow.

For many despite the controversy and cost surrounding stem cell treatments, it is considered with the highest regard. More and more families are traveling abroad in order for one of their members to receive s tem cell treatments that end up improving their quality of life.

Although a great number of stem cell treatments are in existence many of them are still considered to be experimental and/or considered to be too costly. This is another reason that these treatments are often hard to receive. Which then causes many people to look away from their home countries for other viable options, when seeking out these treatments.

Find The Best Dental Plans in Your Area, Top Companies

Full Name*

Phone*

Email*

Please verify your request*

GET INFO

Day One

There is always confusion surrounding international travel, and this is no less true even for a simple border crossing into Mexico. For the case of Sandy and my crossing into Algodones, the first confusion was over time. The night before our crossing the U.S. transitioned out of daylight savings time into standard time. I completely forgot that Arizona is on Mountain time but does not observe daylight savings. Amtrak had called to say that my train would arrive one hour later in Yuma, but gave no reason. I never thought about the time change.

This would have been no big deal except that one must cross the border into Algodones before 10:00 P.M. Arriving at 8:25 Yuma time makes this a little worrisome.

Trying to plan our trip, I got a recommendation for a taxi driver from the Yuma Para-transit, a lady who used to drive for them. In a conversation by phone, she indicated a willingness to take us across the border to our hotel which seemed ideal. However, on the Sunday of our arrival, her cell phone only rang and went to voicemail, and after about 6:00 P.M. went immediately to Voicemail.

When the train got to Yuma, it was indeed 7:25 Pacific Standard Time, but 8:25 Mountain time. Not only that, there is no station in Yuma and no Amtrak staff. Fortunately, my conductor found a Union Pacific police guard who agreed to assist me in getting a taxi after dealing with a freight train that was also passing through at the same time. Sandy had warned me about the lack of a station and went to a cafe nearby, The Mad Chef. This cafe used to be the Happy Chef but was renamed after the chef’s divorce.

When a cab arrived at the train stop, I got in and we proceeded by The Mad Chef and picked up Sandy. The driver indicated that no U.S. taxi can cross the border, but he would take us to the border and get assistance for us. The border turned out to be about a 15-minute drive, mostly by freeway, to the place where our border meets that of Mexico. He stood and verbally directed us from Yuma, cost $20. The driver was good to his word and was able to walk us right across a paved area and to a rail that we could follow down about 200 feet to a

building where a Mexican customs officer met us. Border crossings by foot always seem eerily silent to me, and a little bit strange. This one was no exception.

In turn, the Mexican customs officer was very helpful in getting us a cab who took us to our hotel, hacienda Algodones. This second driver agreed also to assist in finding food should we need to do so.

The hotel was less than 5 minutes drive from the border and we were met by a very gracious proprietress. She found our reservation and took payment immediately, $120 cash for three nights, and suggested we do the paperwork after returning from dinner.

Things got a little dicey here because we wanted a proper dinner with perhaps some Merlot or beer, and good food. But, the driver explained that this was impossible because it was too late, that restaurants in Algodones close by 7:30 or even 7:00 o’clock. We had some trouble with this conversation, so I called Marvelena on my cell phone, explained the situation to her, and then she spoke with the driver. The resolution turned out to be that he would take us to a taco restaurant and then get us beer or wine, whatever he could find and bring it back to us at the restaurant.

While “taco restaurant” was a bit of a misnomer, taco stand would have been more accurate, this is by no means a complaint. The stand we visited was the second stand in from the edge of a park with outside seating, and taco meat being cooked over a charcoal fire. Salsas, pico de gallo, guacamole, and peppers were available in abundance. The flavor of the meat was spectacular, and the corn and flour tortillas were both excellent. They were a little different than U.S. tortillas with more flavor, greater elasticity, and somewhat smaller. Each taco was $1 and I wasted no time in eating 3 of them. Alongside them was a plate of cucumber slices lightly salted and chilied, limes, and a mixture of chili, onion, and I’m not sure what else. Sandy had already eaten but was happy to have a couple of beers and try the vegetables. I hope to go back before we go home!

Upon returning to the hotel, we were shown our room. When reserving, you have to specify one bed or two, and we did indeed get two beds. However, we didn’t get any sort of closet or place to hang anything. We were promised some hangers to put over the entry-way door, but none were forthcoming for at least the first evening. Two tables in the room are made from a soft, unfinished wood (boxwood maybe) with lots of design work on the front. However, the inside of the drawers are unfinished, unlined, and not particularly well made and so far I have hesitated to use them to avoid getting splinters in my clothes or in me.

On the flipside, the mattresses are extremely modern and comfortable. The bed linen is very unusual, and if there are sheets, they have the texture of loosely woven blankets more than of cotton sheets. The bath towels, on the other hand, are the equal of an upscale Marriott Hotel, but don’t count on hand towels or washcloths. The room and bathroom have adequate outlets though we had one power outage which nobody seemed to mind particularly and I got the impression they might be fairly common.

A number of other guests sat in outside areas, visiting and talking about various dental procedures they were having. One lady who is head of an African-American and Hispanic Health network is here on her 4th visit and was great at introducing people to one another and getting us into a friendly interactive frame of mind. Five or six partied well into the night, but we decided to turn in around 11:00 P.M. to be in reasonable shape for Sandy’s 9:00 A.M. meeting with dental destiny.

Algodones: Day Two

We started getting our act together at 7:00 A.M. sharp, figuring out where to put things, how to get the shower to work, and where to go for breakfast. This turned out to be an informal affair in another outdoor area of the hacienda.

The weather was excellent and eating outside was really a pleasure. Coffee was abundant, and breakfast could be scrambled eggs, omelets, and so forth. I had ham and scrambled eggs, onions, peppers, and a few other things thrown in that were great even though I couldn’t identify them. This came with wheat toast, cost $8 which included Sandy’s coffee.

Throughout breakfast, the proprietress visited with us and we had a lovely time getting better acquainted. We found out that she and her husband had converted their home into this hotel, and that she herself is a practicing dentist in Algodones.

Now, it was time to call our taxi and get over to the dentist. But as with Day One, there was a small issue with time. It turns out that Algodones is on California time and we did not know if our dentist abided by Yuma time or California time. Our landlady said she ran her office on Yuma time and that most others did as well. This turned out to be the case, much to our relief.

The office is pretty typical of what one might expect with waiting room, receptionist, and a back area where patients go. It has a clean disinfectant aroma, friendly people, and the standard type of forms and paperwork to be completed. Sandy was in the chair for a little over 2.5 hours. The dentist instructed him to spend the day resting and that is primarily what we did.

Sandy slept a fair amount while I struggled to get on the internet, followed by a nice light dinner, Sandy’s first meal of the day. He managed a bowl of chicken noodle soup with two soft boiled eggs added to it, not bad for a person with four new implants, and I had a similar soup but with lots of vegetables and a quesadilla: $20.

The weather became chillier and we turned in early.

Algodones: Day: Day Three

We spent a restful night, maybe the first time I’ve gotten 8 hours of sleep in the past month. After a breakfast of coffee and ¾ cup -cooked oatmeal, it was back to the dentist: Sandy for a checkup and adjustments; me for a deep cleaning.

I’ve been putting off this procedure for at least two years, primarily because of money and, I admit it, because I can hardly bear the thought of any dental procedure. About cost: Two San Francisco dentists quoted me $800 per quadrant, $3,200 total. For me, that was simply out of the question. So, I went and bought a Delta Dental plan for around $50 a month. After 12 or 18 months (I can’t remember) the cost would be reduced to $200 per quadrant, $800 total. When Sandy began investigating for his situation, I did my own fact-finding and discovered that his dentist here in Algodones would charge $200 to do all 4 quadrants, and better yet, she agreed to do them all at once. As big a sissy as I am in the dentist chair, that’s definitely the way to go! Both San Francisco dentists refused to do more than one quadrant at a sitting.

The numbing part is always the worst part of a procedure, and this was no exception. Once done though, everything else went fine. Of course, the dentist found several things I should consider doing, but the cleaning was a good success so far. It took less than 90 minutes including a waiting time for the Novocain to take effect and another waiting period between the cleaning and the polishing. Two hours later, all effects had worn off and my mouth was just slightly sensitive, no more. The dentist insists that I take 750 MG of amoxicillin twice a day for 8 days which I will do, even though I’m never wild about taking antibiotics. She said she went very deep and caused quite a bit of bleeding and that this was the only safe way to proceed. So, that’s what I did.

Now, it was Sandy’s turn again. Luckily for him, he mostly had an exam to be sure everything was all right and a bit of adjusting. Within hap an hour, he was done.

After all this, it developed that our cab driver was in another town, San Luis, and it later developed that it seemed he intended to stay there the rest of the day but might send a comrade driver who didn’t seem to be showing up. So, our dentist’s husband/financial manager for the office took us back to our hotel. There seemed to be a lot of informality such as this in Algodones, and it was very nice to experience.

From there, we went on to the dentist office owned by the manager of our hotel. She had offered to provide me with a consultation in addition to the one already received, and it seemed like a reasonable idea to do this. Sure enough, she and a fellow dentist had a different approach to suggest. Some caps the first dentist was concerned about they felt were no problem. They also said that the first dentist had mistaken the resin used to secure them as underlying decay. They took x-rays to be sure about this and indicated that the x-rays confirmed their belief. Further, they pointed out that to remove the metal/mercury fillings that I want to do will be difficult because most of them are so large that in replacing them, the teeth could be compromised. Finally, they explained that the new fillings will last only five years. Bottom line: They recommend many more caps and a five-day stay to get the work done properly. Their cost for a porcelain cap is $140 per tooth. The first dentist’s cost is $180. Clearly, more research and consulting with my regular dentist will be in order.

In the meantime, we left Sandy off at a hearing center to investigate hearing aids. He got a unit for one ear over five years ago which is no longer working. The thought of spending another $3,750 for just one ear is pretty irritating to him, so why not see what can be had in Algodones. He discovered that for a similar hearing aid, he will have to pay only $1,200. And yes, it’s digital, and it’s made in the United States. That’s the claim anyway. For my money, even if it’s made in China, if it’s comparable it’s surely far more affordable.

After the obligatory trip to the pharmacy where my antibiotic prescription was fill, but ended up missing two days worth, and a stop to pick some wine from Baja California, we returned to Hacienda Algodones and it was already late afternoon. Dinner featured a delicious meatball and vegetable soup, albogondas, and I had one more quesadilla. All in all, it was a very productive and informative day!

Find The Best Dental Plans in Your Area, Top Companies

Full Name*

Phone*

Email*

Please verify your request*

GET INFO

An Entrance Examination is an Examination which is conducted by various Educational Institutions to select students for admission in various College or Universities. These Examinations can be administered at any level of education, though these are conducted at higher level of education. Entrance Examinations are the Testing Grounds for any Student to evaluate one’s abilities and capabilities in relation to the Admission into an Institution he/she has chosen and in relation to one’s chosen Academic Stream. Most of the Entrance Examination are conducted by Elite Institutes. These Institutes are known for their Superior Result oriented, cream of Faculty and Candidates and as such have gained a lot of Reputation. Most of the Popular Entrance Examinations in India are AIEEE, JEE, CLAT, MBBS, BDS to name a few. Indian Entrance Examinations are widespread with just about most of the Institutes conducting their own separate Entrance Examinations on the same basis as of National Entrance Examinations. Some of the Entrance Examinations like the IIT-JEE, CAT and AIPMT are considered among the toughest in the world, with JEE having a success rate of around 1 in 45. Over the year these Examinations have gained high importance, have become very topical, important and in the process has garnered controversies which have affected students, parents and the administrators.

History of Indian Entrance Examinations

Entrance Examinations emerged with establishment of the University of Calcutta in 1857. The University introduced the Entrance Examination, primarily to decide as to who was eligible for admission to the University. The Examination attained the Status of a School Leaving Examination. Subsequently, the name was changed to Matriculation. After independence of India in 1947, the Examination System was further revised: the Secondary Examination after class X was called the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exam and the examination after class XII was called Higher Secondary Examination (HSC). However the Modern Entrance Examinations of Today owe their existence to the various IIT’s (Indian Institute of Technology) set up during the 1950’s. It was the IITs which introduced the All-India Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) for their admissions. The logic behind introducing these as formal procedure was that varied marks of different school boards could not be used to create a common merit list. Since the inception of JEE, various Indian States followed the pattern and started Entrance Tests for admission in respective states. Soon the Central Board of Secondary Education started PMT (Pre Medical Test) for select medical colleges in the country and the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) for admission to National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and also for any engineering institution which may opt for it.

Entrance Examinations held in India

* Most of the Government and Private Educational Institutes conduct Entrance Examinations for various professional courses. These Entrance Examinations are basically Multiple Choice Question Papers or more popularly known as MCQ’s in the Academic Lingo. This Pattern was introduced as it was considered that scores obtained by school students are based on conventional, long-answer papers which might not represent the actual potential of a student. The reason being given that these scores can represent a Human Examiner’s Errors and as such these would be unacceptable in a closely competitive environment where even a mark or two could affect a student’s career. This subjectivity was eliminated with the introduction of a Special Examiner. It is known as OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) reading Laser which was introduced in 2006.

* Usually Engineering Institutes in India admit 15% of their students through the national-level AIEEE and the remaining 85% based on their scores in the entrance exam conducted by the state in which the college is located.

* Government Medical Institutes follow the same procedure, basing admissions on the candidate’s rank at the All India Pre-Medical Test.

* Indian Institutes of Management conducts a Common Admission Test for the candidates.

* Indian Institutes of Technology conducts IIT-JEE.

Various Entrance and Eligibility Examinations in India

Engineering Entrance Exams:

AIEEE – All India Engineering/Architecture Entrance Exam.

JEE – Joint Entrance Examination.

GATE – Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering.

NATA – National Aptitude Test in Architecture.

SLIET – Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology Entrance Test.

State Engineering Entrance Exams – PTU CET, RPET etc.

Medical Entrance Exams:

AIPMT – All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Entrance Exam.

AIIMS – All-India Institute of Medical Sciences Entrance Examination.

AICEE – All India Common Entrance Examination, by Veterinary Council of India.

State Medical Entrance Exams – PTU CET, RPET etc.

Science / Computer Entrance Exams:

CST – Competence in Software Technology Exam.

GSA – Graduate School Admission Test.

JAM – Joint Admission Test to M.Sc.

JEST – Joint Entrance Screening Test for Ph.D. Admission.

Management Entrance Exams:

ATMA – AIMS Test For Management Admission.

CEMAT – Commonwealth Executive MBA & MPA Programmes Admission Test.

CAT – Common Admission Test.

IBSAT – ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test.

IIFT – Indian Institute of Foreign Trade MBA Admission Test.

ICET – Integrated Common Entrance Test.

JMET – Joint Management Entrance Test.

K-MAT – Karnataka Management Aptitude Test.

MAT – Management Aptitude Test.

NAT – National Aptitude Test.

NCHMCT – National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology – Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

NMAT – National Management Aptitude Test.

OPENMAT – Open Management Admission Test – Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

RMAT – Rajasthan Management Admission Test.

SET – Symbiosis Entrance Test for Symbiosis Undergraduate Institutes of SIEC Deemed University.

SNAP – Symbiosis National Aptitude Test.

TANCET – Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test.

WAT – Written Admission Test – Army Welfare Education Society (AWES).

XAT – Xavier Admission Test.

Law Entrance Exams:

CLAT – Common Law Admission Test.

Kerala Law Entrance Examination.

Nalsar Entrance Test.

NLSIU – National Law School of India University Entrance Test.

LSAT – Law School Admission Test, India by LSAC.

Fashion & Technology Entrance Exams:

CEED – Common Entrance Examination for Design.

NID Entrance Exam.

NIFT Entrance Exam.

Pearl Academy of Fashion Entrance Exam.

Film & Television Entrance Exams:

Film and Television Institute of India Entrance Examination.

National School of Drama (NSD) Screening Test.

Advantages of Entrance and Eligibility Examinations

* It develops a self high esteem especially for those who suffer from low morale. If someone feels or actually has given just satisfactory Board Examinations, he / she can make up with Entrance Examinations. Success in these raises their self esteem.

* Such Entrance Examinations ensure that only the best minds get the best opportunities.

* Potential students turn into able minded Professionals who in turn help in the development of the country.

* A better performer inspires others to do well owing to the competitive spirit created by the Competitive Scenario.

Disadvantages of Entrance and Eligibility Examinations

* Current trends show that the quality of students taking admissions in IITs is decreasing rapidly since 2005.

* These Examinations have enabled the mushrooming of Coaching Institutes, most of which are more interested in cashing in on the opportunity rather than guiding the students.

* The Coaching Centres are not only making Education a business but they also teach short cuts which do enable a student to pass the Examination but are short of the proper knowledge associated with purpose of Entrance Examinations. In the end aspirants maybe good students but not good professionals because they don’t know the basics of their job-at-hand.

* These Examinations become an extra source of pressure for the students who are already dealing with the competitive environment in all spheres. This pressure can lead to total loss or lack of interest in studies. However some succumb to pressure and seek upon taking their lives or abusing themselves.

* Cases of Psychological illness over the years has increased amongst the youth of today. They have to deal with so much these days like going to school, doing homework, preparing for weekly or monthly tests, going for extra Coaching for weak subjects and so on. In such an environment there is no scope for sports, health activities or simply fun based activities. As such the physical health also suffers in the form of various ailments.

Find The Best Dental Plans in Your Area, Top Companies

Full Name*

Phone*

Email*

Please verify your request*

GET INFO

Cavities are mainly the product of having a poor quality of bacterial plaque built up on your teeth. Most of us get our oral bacteria from our mothers, for example when they taste our food before feeding us as a child. Bacteria are actually necessary to keep your teeth lubricated for chewing and to physically exclude pathogenic bacteria from inhabiting the mouth and causing respiratory diseases and others. Unfortunately, some of these “helpful bacteria” produce acids that demineralize your enamel producing cavities.

In order to avoid cavities, you obviously need to keep your teeth clean, and also maintain an environment in your mouth that is more hospitable to bacteria that do not produce acids and less hospitable to those that do. Here is how to do it:

-Brush your teeth in the morning before breakfast so that there are fewer bacteria in the mouth when you introduce food that the bacteria could use to multiply and make acids. Also brush before going to bed each night since during sleep your mouth is driest and there is less saliva to buffer acids in the mouth.

-Use a low abrasive toothpaste with fluoride, like pronamel, with a soft bristled tooth brush or better still an electric tooth brush. High abrasives can remove the protein pellicle that coats the surface of your teeth to help them resist acids. The pellicle is like the skin of your teeth. If you are not sure if your toothpaste is highly abrasive, rub some between your fingers, you shouldn’t feel any grittiness.

-Avoid, as much as possible, acidic foods and drinks like candies, sodas, kombucha, etc. Your tooth enamel begins to demineralize below a pH of 5.5

-Rinse before bedtime with an alcohol-free mouthwash that has a basic pH. Alcohol doesn’t actually do much to kill bacteria, notoriously “alcoholic” rinses like Listerine kill bacteria with essential oils. Alcohol will dry out your mouth however, which is counterproductive. The majority of mouthwashes also unfortunately have an acidic pH, the low pH stabilizes the ingredients and increases shelf-life. The only readily available mouthwash that I have found with a basic pH is Tom’s of Maine Natural Baking Soda Mouthwash. You can always make your own baking soda rinse, but I think it is easier just to buy it at the store.

-If your dentist thinks you are at a very high risk for cavities, he might recommend swishing with a baking soda rinse after meals to reverse any drop in pH that might result from bacterial metabolism of sugars. Swishing with water is a less effective, but a satisfactory solution for the rest of us.

I hope you found all of this helpful. Happy brushing!

Find The Best Dental Plans in Your Area, Top Companies

Full Name*

Phone*

Email*

Please verify your request*

GET INFO