Phoenix Real Estate Schools

Travel and home magazines describe Phoenix as a tropical paradise. Financial and investment publications feature articles about the real estate situation in Phoenix and its rich economic vitality. As a result of this demand for property, real estate brokers and agents have a thriving practice. This has motivated many people to seek a career in the real estate business. As in any other field, professionals in the real estate business require specialized education.

Real estate schools coach and train aspiring real estate agents and guide them through the mandatory certification and examination process. These schools also offer their expertise in helping a student acquire real estate licenses.

Real estate schools in Phoenix offer online courses and the duration ranges from a month to a year. Typically, one year of study is required to complete a pre-license course. Completing a pre-license course gives students 63 hours of credit, which is required as a prerequisite for the real estate sales associate license. On completion, a student would have met the educational prerequisite to appear for the Phoenix State Exam. It is not necessary to be a U.S. Citizen or a Phoenix resident to obtain a Phoenix real estate license. The eligibility criterion are that the applicant must be at least 18 years of age, he/she should not have had a real estate license denied within one year or revoked within the two years prior to the application date.

Phoenix real estate schools provide adequate knowledge and support to its students in order to make them masters of the profession. It is advisable to plan the course as per each individual?s requirements and availability of time.

In recent times, many real estate schools have sprung up in Phoenix. Experts advise caution when choosing one for enrollment. Some of these schools are relatively new and do not have sufficient credentials to back their claims. It is believed that many don’t even have a standardized curriculum. Choosing a reputed real estate school with a updated curriculum and practical sessions is critical to becoming a successful real estate professional.

The Health Care System is Broken – Should Big Parma Buy Hospitals?

We all know that the health-care system in the United States of America is broken and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. As podium pushers and politicians tell us that they will give us universal health care we all know that that is impossible. We also know that the Social Security system is running dry and we can barely afford that.

We know that there are all kinds of lobbyists from the health-care industry in Washington, DC trying to keep it going and keep the government paying for all these health services in our hospitals. The truth this is the Medicare system in the United States was originally ill-conceived and it is only gotten worse throughout the years. Today it represents a huge cost that we can no longer afford.

Indeed the health-care system is broken, but who is coming to the rescue and how come these politicians keep promising us universal health care – a scheme that would clearly bankrupt our nation? So who is going to bail out all the hospitals if the government stops footing the bill?

Maybe big Pharma and the pharmaceutical companies might buy up all the hospitals in order to make sure that those hospitals only sell their drugs? America is on drugs there is no doubt about that and the average Grandma now is probably taking 13 different medications all counter-acting each other, wow, now that is certainly quality of life.

It is incredible this crisis – maybe we should combine these two crisis – the health-care industry and big Pharma and put them together so we can manage them better as we cut off some of this excessive corporate welfare? Too hard hitting for you? So, what’s your solution then?

New Home Improvement Products Can Create Big Problems For Homeowners

I rarely buy new products that guarantee instant success for home repairs anymore. To be honest with you, I probably purchased over 50 of these items, before finally getting disgusted with myself for wasting so much money on these miserable products.

I’m not about to tell you what types of products these were, I’m just here to get you in the right mind, before you purchase any more of them yourself. If you’re looking at a product that guarantees some sort of plumbing pipe repair, find out if it has any type of guarantee. Can this item be returned if it doesn’t work?

Even if this item works temporarily, will the company who guaranteed it, cover and additional home repair expenses if this product fails in the future? For example, you fix a bathroom water supply pipe and everything looks great, but you leave for work one day, and when you come home half of your house is flooded.

I think you’re starting to get the point here, you purchase these products and they either work or they don’t. It’s like gambling at your local casino. They are painting you an illusion of winning large fortunes, but rarely deliver the product.

Whenever I walk into my local lumber yard, hardware store, home improvement center or large retail department stores, I see these products all over the place. I make jokes to myself and anyone around, but at the same time, I realize that these products wouldn’t be here if they didn’t sell.

I’m just trying to get you to think, before making some of these purchases. There are some products that give you a false illusion and you need to be aware of them.

Tips For Filing a Liability Lawsuit

A Los Angeles liability lawyer can assist you with any liability problems that you may have. In most cases whenever people hear the term liability, they often times think of it as referring to car insurance. When in all actuality liability pertains to the state of being legally responsible for a particular event.

A Los Angeles liability lawyer will usually handle cases that involve a person who has sustained an injury either through a faulty or mislabeled product or hazardous property.

Product liability is the liability of a product that a manufacturer has to a consumer. To make things a little easier to comprehend, a product liability lawsuit would occur in the case that a product was faulty or malfunctioned. For instance, if you were using a blow dryer and it electrocuted you, this would be means for a product liability lawsuit. The manufacturer, sold a faulty product to you the consumer, and they are liable for any damages that product may have caused.

Premises liability is a little trickier then product liability. Premises liability deals with someone’s dwelling or land that they have sole ownership for. According to the laws pertaining to premise liability, if anyone is injured or something occurs on your land, the person that owns the land is held liable for whatever ailments they may have caused another individual.

It is very easy for a Los Angeles liability case to become complex, particularly when it comes time to gather evidence of the occurrence. Witnesses, security camera recordings, and photographs of the injury and the premises that caused the accident are just a few of the things that could prove useful in supporting your case.

We are all only human, therefore we are generally understanding when an accident occurs, but that doesn’t mean that the victim should be left footing medical bills, lost wages, and future treatment expenses when the fault truly lies with another person or company. If you believe you may have been injured through a faulty product or premises, please speak with a Los Angeles attorney as soon as possible.

How Is Your Worksite Wellness Program Addressing The Biopsychosocial Nature Of Health? (Are You?)

Health is a complex concept. And you do want to understand how to best address it, correct?

I have previously written that health and wellness are two clearly different concepts. As a result, I see the work-site wellness programs of today as not really being wellness programs at all, but really being employee health status management programs. If you accept this premise, this means that as a work site wellness professional you should have a clear understanding about the nature of health. Do you think you do?

Health, like wellness, can have many different definitions. Again, like wellness, there appears to be agreement around the idea that health is a complex concept which has several different determinants. The determinants of health can be classified into several broad categories: policy making, social factors, health services, individual behavior and biology and genetics. Health is often referred to as being a complex bio psycho-social concept.

Breaking the term bio psycho-social down into its component parts suggests the term consists of three major components: biological, psychological and social. So how do these component parts each contribute to an individual’s health?

Biological – The biological and genetic or physical (physiological) determinants of health, as well as individual behaviors, are generally the focus of most work site wellness programs today. Programming often takes the form of health risk identification and measurement (commonly called risk reduction) and disease or condition management strategies. These speak to the biology and genetics of health.

Two common measurement tools used in work site wellness programs today are health risk assessments and bio-metric screenings which are designed to measure and categorize health risks and basic biological body measures respectively. The basic biological measures serve as markers for an individual’s health status. Ideally, these measures should be within what has been determined to be a normal clinical range.

Psychological – It is now generally accepted that our brain and our body in separable. There is an undeniable connection between the mind and the body. While the exact mechanism may not yet be clearly understood, there is agreement cognition, thoughts, attitude and feelings influence our health. Our thoughts and feelings do have a physical impact on our body. They influence our nervous system, our immune system, our hormone system and subsequently our health.

Disease states are strongly influenced both in onset and duration by the way we think and behave. Our emotional responses result in hormone releases which in turn affect our health. It is clear that how a person feels, or their psychological states including a sense of energy, vigor, durability, hardiness, resilience, optimism, high life satisfaction and positive emotions all reflect the psychological connection to physical health, thereby representing the psychological component in bio psycho-social.

Social – The person – environment fit is reflective of the social component in bio psycho-social. The social determinants of health typically refer to the social environment and the physical environment, which are not controllable by the individual, but affect the individual’s environment and health.

Social determinants are complex, integrated, and overlapping social structures and economic systems linked to a lack of opportunity and to a lack of resources to protect, improve, and maintain health. Environmental factors, such as housing conditions, living conditions, social networks, and social support are also key drivers.

Examples of social determinants include:

• Availability of resources to meet daily needs, such as educational and job opportunities, living wages, or healthy food

• Social norms and attitudes

• Exposure to crime, violence, and social disorder

• Socioeconomic conditions, such as poverty

• Social support and social interactions

Social support, social interactions and friendships have been determined by researchers to provide many benefits. They influence many major aspects of our life. They also provide many beneficial life enhancing roles. Social support is critical. In fact, a lack of friends can be deadly.

We lean on social support, social interactions and friendships for:

• Intellectual stimulation

• Emotional support

• Fun activities

• Support for making behavior changes

The skills necessary for making good social support, interactions and friendship are also the skills necessary for success in life. Social support, social interactions and friendships are also great wellness tools for the work-site wellness professional to tap into.

How is your work-site wellness program addressing each component of the bio psycho-social nature of health?

Real Estate Investing Guide-Learn About Real Estate Investing

Real estate investment is a great opportunity to earn profits and generate a cash flow. There is a slight difference between real estate investment and other types of investment. Real estate investment can be categorized as a long-term investment or short-term investment. Good real estate investor has ability to invest in real estate at right time.

Real estate investment requires proper knowledge and concentration to invest in good piece of land. Sometimes heavy investment gives wrong results in the future and sometimes with a small investment you can earn more. Investors should be alert at the time of investment in real estate.

If you’re going to rent your property you should have sufficient knowledge about tenant problems and requirements of tenants. You should be aware of all financial as well as legal requirements for your real estate. Investment goals are the primary factor for real estate investment. Decide your investment goals like what you want to do with your real estate.

Real estate market offers different types of strategies to invest in real estate. You should choose the best strategy as per your needs. Efficient real estate investors are able to make their fortunes in real estate business. People who invest in this business can live comfortably. They don’t have any tension about their survival. They can earn more and more profits with single right time real estate investment

Investment in real estate requires great commercial skills and knowledge like other businesses. Real estate business needs additional risk because sometimes you’re at risk in this business. That’s why a person with a great will power can easily handle this business. Forecasting in real estate investing can spoil your future so don’t overestimate your investment.

A Guide To Understanding The Process Of Software Development

Many business people don’t fully understand the complexity of a software development process. It’s natural, since specialized books about development are read by developers and other IT people, and many others might still be referring to a software project as ”coding” or ”writing”. With better luck one might add ‘designing’ and ‘testing’. Quite inaccurate.

One can think of several metaphorical comparisons to describe software development, such as writing a book or building a house. Some of them are a good light in the dark, some are rather misleading. And while many people may argue whether creating software is an art, a science, or a precisely elaborated process, we’d leave that choice to someone else. It cannot be described sparsely. But we’ll try to give some descriptions and comparisons in a compact and clear way.

Do We ”Write” Software?

One of the common but rather vague things is comparing creating software with writing. Writing code, writing a book, and so on. You can start writing a book without a plan and go with the flow; with custom software development you cannot, unless developers do a rather small piece of software on their own – and for themselves. Moreover, an outsourced software project never starts with writing code.

Books and software may both have strict deadlines. But once a book is published, what’s written is written; rewriting is not an option. But software keeps being under constant improvement with new versions being released – it’s a natural thing. It’s almost impossible to get every need of your end user, catch up with business and technological changes once and for a lifetime. Books aren’t that dependent on changes; software is. But that’s good: your software, unlike a book, can’t become just another mediocre thing on the market, can’t become irrelevant and outdated. The processes are absolutely different: we prefer using the words ”create” or ”build” software rather than ”write”.

Do We ”Grow” Software?

”Growing” software on a good basis and a good set of documentation is possible to a certain extent. Like with writing, it’s not the best description one can suggest. It partially gets the incremental, agile nature of making and maintaining relevant software. But while ”growing”, the product is rarely tasty until it’s ripe, and the owner has to wait awhile.

The difference is, in software development there are different stages of being ”ripe”. Startups usually demand rolling a minimum viable software product on the market, getting feedback and making corrections and improvements. Each version is more ”ripe” than its predecessor, and it has to be ”watered” by support and maintenance, kept fresh amidst all the business and technological changes.

Do We ”Build” Software?

This one is considered by many specialists the closest way to describe software development, and we can agree with that. Construction works show the huge importance of careful planning, preparing, guiding the work, and performing it. The limits of software depend on how its architecture is constructed. The amount of works doesn’t grow gradually, since every building is different, and requires different approach. There can be a hospital, an office building, a school or a barn, and same physical size doesn’t mean equal amount of labour. Something is done with concrete, something can be done with wood and nails, and the latter doesn’t work well with complex and valuable software for mobile startups and other businesses.

– Everything depends on the kind of a building you need. You need to figure out the problem the software will solve, and conduct the necessary preparations, do market research, gather info, etc. The more complex your software is, the more resources must be spent on planning. Bad planning – and the whole app fails, falls like a house of cards by the first gust of a wind.

– Then you and your chief architect (project manager) can proceed to design that perfectly combines functional requirements and interface, resulting in proper user experience. Sure you want those who will work or live in the building to be fully satisfied with it. Same thing with software. One more good thing, once the design is approved, it’s way easier to give more precise estimations for the remainder of the construction (development) works.

– When furnishing a house, you needn’t building things you can buy: household appliances and furniture. It’s much cheaper and way faster. Same with software: if your software development team is experienced, it will use all the available resources to stay away from writing needless basic things: there are lots of software toolkits, frameworks, classes, and libraries for that, each for a particular case. And if the team means business, they will easily find tools and technologies that will get your tasks done as fast as possible. Custom pieces of furniture take more time and efforts, but in most cases there are already existing pre-built ways to save your time and money without compromising security and efficiency of your software.

– There will always be changes in functional requirements. Again, changes can painlessly happen within the planned architecture. Here we once more emphasize the importance of preparations – although this topic is worthy of a separate article. And we cannot go anywhere without mentioning quality assurance, which constantly checks different aspects of how the software works. What’s more – even a minor change involves testing, so that’s not the place to cut the costs (in fact, QA usually takes about 30% of the whole development time).

– Optimization of software (inner walls of a building) is limited to the approved architecture, and here main expenses are all about labor, not materials. But what you receive in the end is better software and satisfied users. Meanwhile users speak their minds on what they would like the apartments to look – and one should never neglect these opinions.

– One more thing worth noting – a good architect (or a good creative expert in software development) is always ready to consult you on things that should be solved immediately, and what can be left for later without breaking your plans or the quality of your software. You are most likely to not know the subtleties of the technical side – so leave making suggestions and explanations to your team. Unless you are an experienced IT person and you needn’t reading this article to get these insights.

As you can see, the last example is really the closest, and the list of similarities can be continued forever. But the ones we presented here should be enough to understand the process of software development, which is impossible without patience, expertise of the team, and mutual understanding.

Maintaining Healthy Relationship With Office Colleagues

As an employee, you will be spending maximum hours of a day at the workplace. In a professional world, as contacts expand, it is equally important to build a good relationships with co-workers. Since company environment will always be a mix of people from various backgrounds, getting along with all of them can seem a herculean task. Employers today want individuals who are good at building relationships, communicating efficiently and gel well with the team. Here are ways using which you can build healthy relationships with colleagues and develop better association with them.

Learn more about your colleagues

Get to know more about your colleagues by asking them about their dreams and values. You can have open conversations with them during coffee breaks and learn about their background, knowledge or skills they own. Observe what type of conversations they prefer and encourage sharing of new ideas in the group. Invite them for a team lunch or an outing to build the right camaraderie and foster relationships.

Have mutual respect

When you are working in a team, allow every member to share his/her thoughts on a particular topic. It shows that their opinions are given the same value as much as of others. This facilitates creativity among the members and helps to build strong relations right from the root as a courtesy is expected to be followed.

Communicate effectively

Be professionally honest and positive when you talk to others. Even if you are pressing a point during discussion, be ready to listen to what others want to say as they might bring out a different perspective on the topic. Never have a ‘know it all’ attitude or be arrogant in front of co-workers. Also, if you have initiated a discussion, encourage others to participate in it.

Be a helper

It might happen that a colleague is staying beyond the work hours or showing up early to complete a project. You can try to help him/her in ways that are possible without jeopardizing your own assigned task. If you are a giver, then there will be greater chances of receiving help when faced with a problem. This is one of the most appreciated qualities in an employee and goes a long way in building successful relations.

Avoid being part of a group

One should try to mingle with all employees at the workplace rather than sticking to only people who fall in your age group. Do not be consistently with people who are in your vicinity or have similar interests. Try to branch out to various employees and get on a comfort level with them. In this way, you can learn more from experiences and avoid being biased. As a result, you will not feel alienated in unexpected situations.

Become trustworthy

When you start working in an organization, you are expected to deliver projects on time and even meet critical deadlines. At such times, how you manage responsibilities and handle targets would be important. You can try collaborating with other colleagues who have expertise on that subject for help. However, if due to certain circumstances you are unable to meet the target, or will be missing the completion date, communicate the same to the concerned person along with a valid reason.

Show appreciation

If you have received help from other to accomplish a task, do not forget to thank that person and give him/her due credits. Praising your colleague and speaking positive things about him/her can go a long way in building healthy relationship with fellow workers.

Connecting with your co-workers and building healthy relationships with them bring out the best in you and also give job satisfaction. Maintain a polite and cheerful attitude at the workplace. If you are on friendly terms with your colleagues in the office, then it acts as a support system, which can help in boosting your performance.

Dealing With Calcimine Coated Ceiling

Out here in New England we have older homes that in the earlier days used lead paint or had lead mixed in with the oil paints. One of the biggest problems was “Calcimine” ceilings. Definition: cal·ci·mine also kal·so·mine n. A white or tinted liquid containing zinc oxide, water, glue, and coloring matter, used as a wash for walls and ceilings.

At first glance, the ceilings look like ordinary latex or oil painted ceilings when in fact calcimine is acidic and if coated over with standard latex or oil based paint with fail almost immediately. One way to determine if your ceilings are calcimine is to check the underside of a paint chip. If it is chalky more than likely, it is calcimine.

Trying to scrape and “skim coat” (When you use joint compound to cover the cracks and defects caused by a failed coating) you will notice the joint compound starting to bubble. The acid in the calcimine is breaking down the joint compound. The best way to approach this is to scrape as much as the loose ceiling as possible. Then seal the original ceiling (as is) before repairing.

There are products out there that deal with calcimine directly. One such product is “Cal- Cote” I have used this product many times. A heavy coating will seal the ceiling and give you a surface to work with. Therefore, you can start skim coating and repairing all the defects after the Cal-Cote is dry. (Typically allow it to dry over night.)

After you have applied the skim coat to the ceiling you will need to allow the compound ample time to cure. Depending on conditions, (How humid is it?) I would allow the joint compound over night also. Then when sufficiently cured you can sand (wearing a mask and goggles) to achieve a smooth finish.

When all sanded, apply another coat of Cal-Cote and your ceiling should last quite a long time. One other thing, Cal-Cote is a very thick product. Unlike a latex or oil, based paint, which will typically cover 300 sq feet per gallon, expect to get about 200 sq per gallon. Following these steps will help in fixing those old calcimine ceilings. You can always ask your local paint store what type of product they carry and the coverage rate of that particular product.

Home Improvement is Not For Everybody

Fixing up the house can be a tricky matter that many homeowners are not up to. Hiring some outside help is often the best thing for these larger, complicated matters that require professionalism to ensure they are done correctly. Keeping things simple and planning everything as much as possible is the best way to make sure that things are completed on time and in the most efficient way.

Moving through home improvement projects as quickly as possible is a priority for many homeowners. Nobody likes his or her yard to be in disarray for too long, so ensuring that everything get done without delay is very important. Avoiding problems and mishaps is the best way to ensure that everything runs according to plan. Incidentally, making sure that everything is planned out perfectly is another key in meeting deadlines the homeowners may set for themselves. Hiring a contractor for the larger, more complicated home improvement projects is often the best way to avoid these costly delays.

When things run smoothly, everything will fall into place. The homeowner will be happy with the work being done. The work will be done on time. The final product will be as the homeowner expected or planned and everybody will be happy. Ensuring that this is the case with each and every home improvement project is a struggle for many homeowners that choose to go at it alone. That is why hiring a professional to help with the more complex projects is the best way to ensure things are done properly.