7 iPhone Apps for Wellness Professionals

Posted on January 16, 2010, 8:57 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

If you want to stay in tune with your wellness goals or are looking for fresh new ways to help your patients, these apps can be quite helpful. Just another reason why your iPhone can be such a helpful tool in your health and wellness journey.

1. iPhodometer – Walking is one of the best physical activities that we can perform, yet many of us just don’t get enough steps in throughout the course of a day. Utilize this application and you can measure how many steps you take in a day as it acts as your very own pedometer, and you can even specify to various types of activities.
2. Fertility Friend – As fertility continues to be a pressing and very real health issue, this is a helpful and very popular iPhone app. You can get to the core issues such as tracking your true cycle, or just understand what it all means. This is a great app for those who need to understand their fertility issues, and can even be a great app for healthcare professionals to try and recommend.
3. Mindful – They say that you are what you eat, and therefore you need to be mindful of what you put into your mouth each day. This app can help you to truly understand what’s going on with your diet and nutrition, and gives you the answers that you really need.
4. BMI Calculator – For the healthcare professional who needs a quick answer for a patient or the individual who wants to get in tune with their picture of fitness, this is a great app. You can get insight into what your actual body mass index is so that you know what you’re up against and more importantly what you should be working towards. This is a number that doesn’t lie and is therefore so important!
5. Dietician – For the professional who wants help at their fingertips or the individual who needs insight, this is a great app. You can focus in on how to plan out healthy and nutritious meals, and do what it takes to meet your end goals. It’s like having your own personal dietician at your fingertips!
6. Sensei for Weight Loss – You can get in tune with tips, diet plans, and whichever tools will help you to reach your weight loss goals. Though this is based off of a popular site, this iPhone app continues to grow in popularity as it offers up a healthy dose of insight for professionals and individuals who may need a fresh perspective.
7. Zen Timer – If you need help in getting started on meditation and overall mental well being, then this is the app for you. It can help you to time your meditations and therefore keep you on track in the very best way possible.

Your iPhone can be helpful to you as an individual with wellness goals, or it can work wonders to you as a professional. Whatever reason you turn to these specific apps, prepare to be “wowed” with what you get out of this help at your fingertips.

M.E. Ward writes about how get a master’s in health care degree.

Is Homeschooling Right For Your Family?

Posted on January 9, 2010, 3:18 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

I’ve been a private tutor in New York City for the past five years, and in that time I have worked extensively with eight different homeschoolers and had contact with a number of others. Some of these families are providing their children with absolutely magnificent educations. Others are doing a very poor job of it. I’ve given a great deal of thought to the characteristics that set successful homeschooling families apart from unsuccessful ones, and I believe I have some useful ideas for helping families determine whether or not they ought to take the plunge. Of course there are both academic and non-academic considerations to take into account with education, but my topic here is to primarily discuss the academic issues.
My first question for any parents considering homeschooling is: Why? There are many possible answers to this question, but I think most of the time, the answers fall into one of three categories. First, there are families who simply feel that they can provide their child with a better education than they could get in any available school. Next, there are families who find themselves in a difficult situation, and homeschooling seems like it might provide a solution (although it was never a first choice). Finally, there are families with children who work (usually as actors) and who can’t reasonably go to regular school, too.
All of these categories contain both successful and unsuccessful homeschooling families, although the most common the pitfalls seem to be different. Among families who want to try homeschooling because they believe they can provide a truly superior education, I’ve noticed one major downfall- parents who assume that their interests form the core of a good education. For example, I had a friend in college who was rather bitter about the fact that her parent’s (both math majors from Harvard) version of homeschooling led her to be rather competent at beginning calculus by the age of 11, but sadly unable to write more than a simple sentence or two until she entered public school in the 6th grade.
On the other hand, I now have a homeschooling student whose parents know they can’t do math or science justice- that’s why they’ve hired me and it’s why they make a great effort to make sure a variety of adults who are fluent in math and science contribute to her education. That child is getting a great education in the humanities from her parents and a great education in math and science from me and other people.
Unfortunately, no one is fully competent in every subject that a child should be exposed to, especially as they get older and material gets more complicated. Have you thought about how you will address all of the subjects that your child should be studying, and not just the ones that are your own personal favorites? Have you considered what the implications are of potentially passing on your own academic weaknesses or prejudices to your child? Do you have a plan to avoid, or at least ameliorate, this potential pitfall?
In my experience, families who consider homeschooling because of a difficult situation are perhaps the most diverse group. These are also some of the families who have the most trouble making homeschooling work, for the simple reason that they are already under some sort of intense stress, which makes everything more difficult. The questions I would pose to these families are: Why do you think homeschooling will improve your situation? Do you realistically have the time and energy to devote to this important project? I have seen families who were forced into homeschooling make it work very well and I have also seen homeschooling degenerate into something quite awful.
My favorite example of a family that was forced into homeschooling by circumstance but made it work well for them is a family consisting of an aunt and uncle who adopted their very troubled and severely school-phobic nephew. By the time they adopted their nephew, he had already learned to associate school with failure and responded to it with a mixture of indifference and aggression. It was bad enough when he was a prepubecent child, but as he entered adolescence the situation became absolutely untenable. For this student, homeschooling has been a wonderful second chance that has allowed him to begin learning without having to carry the baggage from his previous failures around. He has made enormous progress in the years since I began working with him. I truly believe that he could not have made this amount of progress in any other environment.
On the other hand, I once participated in the homeschooling of a boy whose mother was terminally ill. The situation was even worse than you might think because she was on medication that made her quite literally and dramatically insane. The poor woman had many frightening hallucinations and became so fearful that she sometimes didn’t allow her son to leave their apartment for stretches of several days. Although homeschooling by a team of professional educators allowed him to more or less keep up academically, the emotional cost of being isolated from his friends and the outside world while he was trying to deal with his mother’s illness made a terrible situation even worse. I truly believe that it would have been better for him to go to school. Even if he had failed every subject, just getting outside of the house and seeing his peers would have been an improvement.
Finally, there are families with a professional child. In these situations, the relevant questions aren’t so much about homeschooling, they’re really about the child’s career. Can this individual child handle a career? Is the desire for a career truly coming from the child? If the career doesn’t carry over into adulthood, will he or she have the skills necessary to make a life in another way? I’ve only known one professional child personally, and she was a charming 8th grade girl who truly loved acting. I homeschooled her while she was performing in an off-Broadway play. She was quite driven to succeed in all aspects of her life, and she was able to do remarkably well in terms of keeping up with her academics as well as her career. I had a lot of admiration for the way she handled all aspects of her life. I also respected the fact that her parents supported her desire to pursue a career in acting, but they absolutely did not push her. Her situation was close to ideal. On the other hand, she told me some disturbing stories about other professional children that she knew who were essentially coerced into pursuing acting careers that they did not want for themselves. Obviously, that is a deeply unethical choice for parents to force on their child. Homeschooling is really beside the point.
In my experience, homeschooling families generally do pretty well (and often extremely well) when they enter into homeschooling with their child’s interests truly front and center. They often run into problems when homeschooling is more about the parents than the child. Ask yourself why and how you want to do this before you start. Be as honest as you can with your answers. The way you think about your child’s education will undoubtedly change over time, but if you keep those questions in mind, your chances of making the right choice for your family is quite good.

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Ephedra Like Compounds Are Back !

Posted on January 9, 2010, 1:29 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

Ephedra was all the rage a few years back as it was one of the over the
counter items that actually seemed to produce noticeable results among the
many weight loss pills on the market then. It was so popular that all the best weight loss pills
had some form of it in their ingredient list.

Finding an ingredient that had the same overall properties but was not
banned was a research nightmare for almost a decade. Now researchers have
found an natural item that has been with us for hundreds of years. In its
basic form it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat many
aliments when mixed with other compounds.

Now the best weight loss
pills once again contain this “chemical equivalent” to Ephedra.
Synephrine HCL in its 100 % pure firm has been found to have the same
ability to increase energy, trigger the suppression of appetite and help in
the burning of fat sugars that we once counted on Ephedra to do.

Synephrine HCL comes from the bitter orange citrus fruit of the aurantium
family. While native to Vietnam, they are now widely cultivated and have
gone beyond there previously known popularity as a flavoring and now
nurtured for their weight loss pill inclusion. One of the best weight loss
pills on the market today Nuphedragen, uses 20 mg of 100% Synephrine
HCL in each of their weight loss pills.

Highly Experienced Tutors for Your Kids

Posted on January 8, 2010, 2:47 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

Kids often need help to learn math and algebra. Most of the time, kids do not understand their teacher’s explanation. They need someone to give them simple and better explanation. They need tutor to help them get better grades on their exam. However, most kids do not like to spend their time at home for studying, especially if they have a tutor to monitor them.

Online tutor can be a perfect solution for them. Tutorvista.com provides the best online tutors for various subjects. Your kids can learn math from their computer. They will get simple explanation on the complicated math problems. This website also offers algebra tutoring for your kids. They will get their own tutor who will give detailed explanation on the lesson. They will learn to solve math questions based on the explanation. These tutors also can give homework help on these subjects. Your kids will find equation is a simple thing to solve.

This website has the best tutors. They are highly certified. Most of these tutors have PhD or Master. They will show the easy way to solve fractions to your kids. They will simplify the way your kids solving equation. They will meet their tutor on chat room and the tutor will give explanation through virtual white board. This online system will bring entertainment to your kids, so they will enjoy their math class.

Homeschooling – Why Should You Homeschool?

Posted on January 4, 2010, 3:55 am, by admin and received No Comments ».

Why should you homeschool? Why you opt to do so, or not, is a personal choice; those who choose to do so have many different reasons. Some parents want to instill certain values, while others want to protect their children from what they see as an unsafe public school environment. Still others think that they can provide a more superior education than the school system can. However, the most common reason is that parents simply think homeschooling is better for their children.
Just what “better” means can vary from parent to parent, but it means the exclusion of certain things as well as the inclusion of others. For instance, children who homeschool are seen as being less susceptible to peer pressure or bullying. Simply put, however, the opinion that homeschooling can provide a better education versus that of public or standard private schools has been quite well researched.
Studies, in fact, agree that homeschooling is generally educationally superior versus public or private schooling in the vast majority of cases.
For proof, we can look at many individual success stories. The winner of the 1997 national spelling bee was a homeschooled student. In addition, one family of four sisters who had all been homeschooled went on to get Master’s degrees from an Ivy League college. One young lady who had been homeschooled went to college and got her Master’s degree by age 16.
Now, detractors might dismiss such achievements as rare and unusual; the students and/or their parents were simply of genius IQ, right? However, the number of people in the world who have a genius IQ is not high enough to account for the steady rate of success among homeschooled students in these areas. Members have said in general the students who are homeschooled are in the 60th to 70th percentiles by the age of 12. On average, this means that these students test at least a grade ahead of their public school peers.
The numbers are even better for older students. By the time a homeschooled student reaches what is the equivalent of eighth grade, that student is roughly four grades ahead of his or her peers. This is as much due to the poor results public school generally provides as it is to the impressive accomplishments of homeschoolers. These numbers, in fact, are not just provided by those who advocate homeschooling, but by the US Department of Education itself.
Simply put, homeschooling works. Of course, most homeschooling parents know that this is not easy. Parents who homeschool often experience burnout, especially when they’re just starting out. It takes a lot of work to teach young people everything they need to know educationally, in addition to being the parent. To expect excellence from one’s children as students and function in the role of teacher takes extra effort. Therefore, the focus is on the parent in homeschooling efforts even more so than it is in general.
Homeschooling parents in general insist that children are natural sponges for knowledge. Although this may be true, many homeschooling parents nonetheless feel that they need to research curriculum options, define goals, and guide their children’s education, as well as a myriad of other tasks on a day-to-day basis. Parents who homeschool but who have not been well educated themselves also face the additional challenge of educating themselves even as they educate their children. They may have to catch up on their own educations before they can truly function as teachers for their own children.
Nonetheless, homeschooling advocates say that the results are worth the effort. Indeed, studies bear this out, as homeschooled students are usually well-adjusted, deep thinking individuals who are ready for whatever challenges life may throw at them.

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Homeschooling – Homeschool Tips and Resources

Posted on January 3, 2010, 6:47 am, by admin and received No Comments ».

Homeschool can quickly grow and become an enterprise that is overwhelming. There is so much that parents need to learn before they can begin to educate their children. However, just like any other large and complex task, it is much easier to tackle when you break it down into simple to handle pieces. Plus, homeschooling is not nearly as difficult as many people think it is – or as the make it seem.
The first thing to remember in homeschooling is that there is no “one size fits all” and what is right for one person may not work for someone else. This being said, there is no single starting point that is right for everyone. Different parents present different skill sets and have different life experiences. However, nearly every single parent who attacks this task will at some point experience some trickle of doubt as to whether they can actually DO this or if homeschooling is right for their child or even their family. The doubts are normal, but what it boils down to is that only the parent and child can decide if it is right. Family members who do not understand or approve can not make the very personal decision regarding how your child is educated – only you and your child can do that.
If you decide to go with homeschooling, know that homeschooled children, on the average, outscore their peers on standardized tests and perform at the top of their class in college. Within the home, parents can offer an environment to the child that is safe, fun and is conducive to learning. They can tailor an educational program that is structured specifically for their child’s needs and interests. This is an area where public schools often fail.
The Law
One of the first things that you should do once you make the decision to homeschool your child is to learn everything that you can about the laws and regulations in your state. Learning the legal requirements and restrictions should be done very early in the process. The HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) can provide you with a wealth of information and assistance. They can guide you through the process of researching the laws in your state. While homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, certain aspects differ such as the amount of paperwork and the level of involvement of local school districts. Some states also require that homeschooled students be tested at certain points to track their progression.
Support Groups
Modern homeschooling has been around for more than 40 years. Literally hundreds of organizations have been formed during at time that covers every state and nearly every area in the United States. You can find a list for your area by visiting http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/states/index.php. There are also many online groups and many are even region specific. Yahoo groups, Google groups and MSN groups all have very useful clubs where homeschoolers can share curriculum, tips, support and supplies including books. Some local online groups even have field trips, get togethers, play groups and teen nights to aid in the socialization process for the children.
Books and Magazines
There are many books and magazines that are available to help with homeschooling issues. However, as the internet has grown and expanded, there is even more information readily available to homeschooling parents as well as students. Parents can sign up for homeschooling newsletters and they can even go on to teacher resource websites and sign up for newsletters and daily tips.
If you are interested in reading the philosophy of homeschooling and its origins, John Holt’s books are fascinating. “Teach Your Own” by Patrick Farenga is also a very popular book on homeschooling. “Classical Homeschooling Magazine” is available at http://www.classicalhomeschooling.com. While it mainly focuses on the classical homeschooling approach, homeschoolers of all types can gain valuable information from it. “Home Education Magazine” is another very popular publication regarding homeschooling.
Materials and Resources
Materials and resources are integral to the homeschoolers success, but not in the manner that you may think. Many parents elect the school-at-home route, at least initially. What this does is basically take the books and materials out of the classroom and place them in the home where the child learns them and the parent is the teacher. It usually does not take long for parents to realize how much effort is involved in this method and they often find the materials substandard at best.
There are alternative materials and curricula available from many commercial sources. The homeschooling clubs and groups mentioned earlier can also offer a wealth of information. There are materials and curricula that can be downloaded on the internet for free and these groups can point you in the right direction. A popular forum that provides good information is http://forum.homeschool.com/forum/default.asp. Another popular source is HEM (Home Education Magazine). You can access their site at http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_netwrk.html. Another site is http://www.home-school.com/forums.
All of these sites give parents helpful tips, suggestions for curriculum design and materials and much more.
Your approach to homeschooling your child may be structured or unstructured. It depends on you and your child’s goals, whether they are college, art school or just a good foundation of knowledge and a keen mind. Whatever your concerns and issues, you can find the help that you need to get you started and make your homeschool experience a success.

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A Guide to Finding High Quality Homeschool Textbooks and Supplies

Posted on January 2, 2010, 4:08 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

As homeschoolers, we naturally want the best home schooling supplies and curriculum for our children. Each child is an individual though and what homeschool textbooks and supplies may be perfect for one child may not be the best fit for another. Luckily, there are lots of options! But, there’s no way you could ever test out each option for each child, even if you only had one child.
So, what’s a homeschooler to do? What we do best, research! Finding as much information as you can about different homeschool textbooks and supplies will allow you to select materials that are of high quality and that will work for you and your child.
Talk to Other Home Schoolers
This may seem like an easy answer but just because you know and love other homeschoolers, doesn’ mean you always know what homeschool textbooks and supplies they’e using, have tried, or would recommend. So, find whomever you know that homeschools and talk to them, all of them.
Because you know these people personally, and their kids too, you can have the added benefit of insight as to what similarities they share with you and your children; and how the home schooling supplies they have liked may be something you and your child might like (or not like) also.
Read Online Reviews
With the wide use of the internet, you can now find a lot of help with your search for the best homeschooling supplies by reading reviews at the various online homeschool textbook stores. There are countless online reviews about curriculum for homeschool on various homeschool forums and message boards, as well as your state or local yahoo group. Many have a designated spot for reviews, or, take matters into your own hands and just get a discussion going about favorite home schooling supplies.
Many homeschoolers also maintain blogs now about what they are doing, and their life as homeschoolers. Some also post online reviews of the home schooling materials they have experience with. This is a fantastic way to benefit from another homeschooler’s experience and opinion of home schooling supplies.
Create a Relationship With a Homeschool Book Store You Can Trust
If you are lucky enough, you may, through word of mouth or your own experience, find a homeschool book store that you can trust to only offer the best curriculum for homeschool. This way, you’ll know that if they carry it, it’s got to be good.
One marker of a good homeschool book store is that it is run by fellow (and usually very experienced) homeschoolers. Most shops that cater to homeschoolers do so because they enjoy and want to help other homeschoolers. They too know that the search for the best homeschool textbooks and curriculm is a very important, and potentially time consuming process. You can benefit from their support and knowledge, and in return, patronize their shops!
Of course no matter how much you research curriculum for homeschool you’ll still need to use it to be able to accurately judge the fit between the homeschool textbook and your child. But, if you try to utilize these ideas (and make sure the store has a good return policy!), then you’ll make your search for high quality homeschool textbooks and curriculum much more easy and successful!

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Selling Textbooks on Internet Comfortably

Posted on December 28, 2009, 3:23 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

How many used textbooks do you have right now? Do you want to make money from your used textbooks? Well, as students you surely have known that buying textbooks requires lots of money. During your study you might have bought many textbooks and you have spent lots of money on them. However, when you have finished using the textbooks, you might just put them on your bookshelves and leave them unnoticed. It is absolutely a waste of money since you can make money from your used textbooks. You can cash in your textbooks and get fair values for them. Don’t you think this is a good idea?

If you are interested in cashing in your textbooks, you can do it comfortably and easily because there are many companies receiving textbooks selling over the internet. This condition enables you to save money, time, and effort as you can sell your textbooks from the comfort of your home. You don’t need to leave your home and bring the textbooks to the store because you can send them by mail. What you need to do is to find a company that can offer the highest values. For this reason, visiting Selltextbooks.net is absolutely a great idea. From this website you will find clear information about the benefits you will receive if you Sell Textbooks at this website. This website enables you to cash in your textbooks in three simple steps; they are check prices, ship books free, and get paid. To check the prices of your textbooks, you just need to enter the ISBN of your books. If you agree with the prices offered to you, you can cash in your textbooks. Remember, the prices offered are very competitive and you might find that the prices are the highest among other companies. SellTextbooks.net enables you to ship textbooks free as long as you use their labels. After those two steps are completed, you will receive your money via check or paypal. It is simple and easy, isn’t it?

Further, before you cash in your textbooks, you should know what kinds of books you can sell to them. There is detailed information about books they buy that you can see at this website. You can also get instant quotes without any further requirements. In conclusion, this website makes selling textbooks simple, easy and fast. Therefore, if you are interested in cashing in your textbooks, you can create an account now. So, visit this website for further information, then.

Learn English

Posted on December 14, 2009, 1:34 pm, by admin and received No Comments ».

If you want to boost your confidence in your work life or social life, then pay close attention.

Because you’re about to discover a surefire technique to learn English, at home, with your kids and family.

Best of all it’s easy and fun-filled. You’ll soon begin to amaze your colleagues and friends.

Let’s get started:

Learn English

The motto of success in today’s competitive world is to learn English. Sounds like a simplistic solution, doesn’t it? I can almost visualize you shaking your head in disbelief and wondering if success can depend on a language and one’s expertise in it. Let me convince you however, at the very outset, that if you aspire to make a difference to yourself and the people around you, you have to learn English.

English for most people around the world is a second or at times a third language and it is only natural to feel lost in the maze of this language. This is a problem that needs to be given due consideration, keeping in mind the vital importance that English occupies in today’s global world. English is one language that is used in communication of any kind, be it social, political or work related. In this scenario, why do you want to feel left out? Wouldn’t it be much better if you could learn English and feel confident and good about yourself?

At this point, you might have a lot of doubts in your mind. You might not be very sure about the possibilities of learning English and how to go about it. Well, all I can tell you is how I learnt English and reached a point where I feel great about sharing my experience with others.

I joined EN101 which proved to be the answer to my ardent prayers. They provide the kind of hand-holding that one can only dream of but rarely find. The best part about learning English online with EN101 is that learning doesn’t seem a difficult task at all. On the contrary, you can have a lot of fun in the process of mastering English. One of the problems I had was with the pronunciation of English. So many words can be misleading if you go by the spellings and you never know when you have fallen into a pitfall and made a fool out of yourself. Of course, there is no earthly need to take such an extreme view but if you look at it from another angle, what use is knowledge of any language if it doesn’t serve the purpose of communication?

Well, if you learn English with EN101, you won’t face this problem. In fact, one of the best features of EN101 is that it facilitates with expert audio voices pronouncing each word articulately to reach you, so that you are never confused about how to use words. Again, if you are the conscious type and feel embarrassed about exhibiting your ignorance in front of others, EN101 is ideal for you as it is an online service where you can learn from the privacy of your homes and achieve the maximum benefits. Thus, EN101 not only helps you learn English online but it also sees to it that you learn English from home in a comfortable and relaxed manner.

EN101 has 4 modules that are divided keeping in mind the strengths and weaknesses of the student. These modules have been devised after a lot of research and ensure that you are adept in every field of life where language comes into play. After going through this, you won’t find yourself tongue-tied in social situations groping for the right word but will be able to converse with ease and grace. You might not even think of English as a second language after enrolling with EN101, but come to look upon it as a first language.

Another great idea would be to enroll your kids with EN101. The Learn English for kids program at EN101 is truly a fun experience for kids. Quizzes are taken at regular intervals so that the kid is stimulated and motivated to do better.

If all of this is not enough, with EN101, you can learn English not only in English but also in your native Arabic, Korean, Mongolian, Hungarian, French, Spanish, German, Netherlands, Romanian, Indonesian, Estonian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Latvian, Italian, Lithuanian, Turkish, Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Hebrew and Japanese. Whew! Quite a list, isn’t it?

I think all I need to say further is that by not enrolling at EN101, you are missing the opportunity of a lifetime. So, go ahead and grab the bull by the horns. Be a master of English.

Now, for a limited time only, Learn English Free From EN101!

Go to http://guarantee101.en101.com

Or: http://guarantee101.en101india.com

Click on Learning Center.

The Username is marinabay and the guest Password is guest

1. Simply begin to Learn English.

2. Select ‘Chinese’, ‘Spanish’ or ‘Latvian’ from the top menu if you like to learn these other languages.

(Please feel free to pass this info by email on to anyone you think can use this.)

P.S. Don’t forget that as well as now being able to learn English (Chinese, Spanish

and Latvian) you can also “earn while you and others learn”. When you enroll and

share En101 with others we pay you a commission to “spread the word”.

See http://guarantee101.en101.biz

Or http://guarantee101.en101india.biz for full details.

P.P.S. If the guest password has expired please email me at marinabay_sg@yahoo.com for a new one.

Please note that I will be changing the guest password a few times every month.

By: Vincent Siew

http://www.learn-to-speak-english.com

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Big Bang Booming – Back To The Future

Posted on December 11, 2009, 8:54 am, by admin and received No Comments ».

Theoretical cosmologists spend much of their time perfecting what is now known as the ‘Big Bang’ theory. This concept originates from ideas percolating in the minds of scientists, theologians and astronomers down through the ages. However, much of what they consider as proof for the ‘Big Bang’ is dependent upon uncontrolled experimentation that is molded to meet their expectations.

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. This ancient description of the creation of the universe found in the Book of Genesis may be accurate after all. The big bang theory describes the beginning of the universe as having been precipitated from an infinitesimally small point. In this small volume, all matter and energy was concentrated until its contents exploded in either a smooth expansion or an incredibly violent energetic explosion that formed the planets, stars and galaxies. Originally this theory had competition from what is called the ‘steady state’ theory whereby the universe is forever expanding and new matter and energy is created spontaneously within the space left by the receding galaxies. However, empirical observations have directed astronomers and scientists into the acceptance of the big bang model. But how did we get to this point in our understanding?

In the early part of the twentieth century the American astronomer Vesto Slipher and the German Carl Wirtz made some important astronomical discoveries. Using spectral analysis, Slipher deciphered the mixtures of gases contained in planetary atmospheres as well as nebulae. What distinguishes his findings is the discovery that most if not all galaxies outside of our own demonstrate what is called a ‘Red Shift.’ This shift is simply a change in the wavelength of the light emitted by those objects under investigation towards a longer wavelength. Wirtz similarly catalogued many red shifts of the nebulae which he chose to study. But it was still to early for them to realize the full potential meaning of their observations. That would wait until Einstein’s General Relativity would be interpreted by other scientists through further mathematical analysis.

His contemporaries demonstrated to Einstein that his new Theory of General Relativity published in 1916 was not compatible with a ‘static’ universe of space time. The theory predicted an expanding or collapsing universe but not a fixed cosmos. Because he personally believed the universe to be an invariable space time continuum, Einstein engaged in a degree of scientific legerdemain. To correct what he perceived to be as ‘flaws’ in his theory he added the contrivance of a cosmological constant known as lambda to force the static universe into reality. Einstein’s view of perfection in an unchanging space time continuum had led him down a blind alley as much as Aristotle’s concept of perfection had brought that great philosopher into the error of believing in a static Earth at the center of the universe.

But even with the addition of the cosmological constant lambda, the universe was still found to be unstable and this whole affair would later be viewed by Einstein as his “greatest blunder.” His cosmological acrobatics behind him, Einstein yielded the stage to others for a clearer understanding of his own theory. It fell to Alexander Alexandrovich Friedmann to consider the consequences of General Relativity without the constant lambda interfering with his study of these relationships. In doing so, the Russian mathematician and cosmologist derived the solution which predicts an ever expanding cosmological structure (1922), a prediction which was disagreeable with Einstein’s concept of universal perfection. A couple of years later, Friedmann published his findings in “About the Possibility of a World with Constant Negative Curvature of Space.” But the entire hypothetical construct still lacked a complete verbalization mathematically and theoretically.

Enter the Reverend Father Georges Lemaitre, a Catholic priest from Belgium. Rev. Fr. Lemaitre provided the equations necessary to formulate the basis of Big Bang theory in his work entitled “Hypothesis of the Primeval Atom.” He postulated that the universe began as a primordial atom of infinitesimal volume and enormous mass energy as well as space and time and everything else comprising the future universe. At some point the universe began with the explosion of this super atom. Lemaitre published his theoretical ideas between the years 1927 and 1933 and speculated that the movement of the nebulae demonstrated the validity of the explosion of his cosmic super atom. Unfortunately, he also wrongly believed that cosmic rays might be an after effect of the super atom’s big bang. These are now known to be generated not from a universal conflagration but from galactic sources unrelated to the big bang.

However, the new theory still lacked a major source of observational support. This would be provided by Edwin Hubble’s observations of the redshift of galaxies. Taking up where Slipher and Wirtz left off, Hubble employed a novel technique to discern the properties of the galactic movements. By choosing to observe stars that are known as Cepheid Variables he could more accurately make measurements. Cepheids are a type of star that brighten and darken and lighten back up in regular periods of time that are well known. Cepheids that have identical cycle times of brightening darkening and brightening again also have identical or nearly identical luminosity. Thus, if one compares the length of the cycle to the amount of light apparent to the observer it is possible to accurately prepare an estimate of the distance to the cepheid.

In this manner, Hubble had found that the nebulae or galaxies exhibited a galactic red shift; in other words, that galaxies were receding away from ours at a speed which is correlated directly with the distance between our vantage point and the galaxy being studied. The further away the galaxies were the faster they appeared to be going in moving away from us. The results of these investigations is now known as Hubble’s Law. Essentially, this law states that universe is in an ever expanding mode whereby the intergalactic distances continue to grow without bound into infinity. Hubble’s Law depends upon the shifting of the wavelength of light and after having been delineated in 1929 has been subsequently proven over and over again. Further, Hubble’s constant has been recalculated to a more ‘perfect’ value and retains a great probability of being ‘recomputed’ in the future based upon new observations.

Thus, it should be clear to the reader that our scientists have a fateful habit of introducing their preconceived notions of beauty into their models. From Aristotle’s static Earth to Einstein’s greatest blunder, the constant which forces a static universe, we proceed only from the wisdom of our weak minds. The more things change the more things stay the same. Man’s hubris knows no limits in our attempts to understand things without the wisdom to comprehend its underlying meaning. Humble we are not. We are making the same mistakes we always have. Back to the future.

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