A Way To Earn A Liberal Arts Degree | 1st about psychology.

Many folks have an unflattering view about those who have acquired a liberal arts degree. It is a flawed belief that individuals with a liberal arts degree won?t be able to land a good job. This kind of degree has much to offer which a specialized bachelor?s degree does not. {A liberal arts education opens up the student to go after the subjects they?re enthusiastic about, while developing beneficial abilities that could be transferred to any occupation.} By getting the added abilities of a liberal arts education, it is possible to have an edge in several of the top-paying job fields. Most of the best careers need skills that those using a liberal arts degree received during college. In case you have made the decision to go back to classes to acquire a well-rounded instruction and necessary experience for your vocation, consider a college that provides laptops.

A liberal arts education sets a graduate apart from other specialty degrees. {A Google search of ?liberal arts degrees? can turn up an enormous quantity of information about the sorts of courses and education you will obtain that?s distinctive from other specialized majors and degrees.} A liberal arts degree allows students to target their learning on subject matter like philosophy, history, American literature or literature from another country, the list is countless.

Liberal arts courses not only teach the assigned subject matter, however they enable you to learn how to learn. Let?s look at a little scenario and suppose that you desire a history degree. Your history courses will not only educate you on dates and facts, but how to communicate that information in distinctive and thoughtful ways.

You would be surprised to realize how important it is in any job to obtain critical thinking skills and the ability to translate information and circumstances.{A bachelor?s degree in history supplies a great deal of in-depth understanding of the history of our country and our world.}

Lawyers, politicians and large corporations need employees with an understanding of history that their specialized employees lack. Liberal arts majors are required in any business setting since writing and communication abilities are essential for any proper transactions to occur. Corporations need employees that could communicate to clients, the general public and other employees eloquently and skillfully. Some general areas which will always have a spot for liberal arts degree holders are politics, education, and anything inside the non-profit sector. A lot of companies seek liberal arts students because their well-rounded education has developed people who can think outside the box.

A liberal arts degree is frequently the degree of choice for those who wish to further their education. Several graduate programs welcome liberal arts undergraduates mainly because they have developed the critical analysis skills important for a master?s degree in a specialty area. Several law and medical students start out with a liberal arts degree and then elect to pursue a precise area in an online master?s degree program. { Seeing that we?ve cleared the air about what a liberal arts degree is actually about, do not be scared to go out and get one for yourself!}

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Source: http://1aboutpsychology.com/2012/reference-and-education/online-education/a-way-to-earn-a-liberal-arts-degree/

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Features of best web hosting services

Published by carol | February 2, 2012 | | 133

It is the key responsibility of the web hosts to provide you best of the services. As a matter of fact your online activities and trades are dependent. You require good hosts to get best web hosting facilities. Are you looking to increase the sales of your online business? Would you like to promote your online business in efficient manners? Definitely, every person who is involved in online business activities wants to get more profits and benefits. People use the online services because these are convenient and comfortable than the conventional means. Because of these reasons the use of online services is increasing in the world. The people like to use the online services because they want to save their time and efforts.

Different web hosting providers provide different range of services.

The people who are looking for the best of the hosting services should select the web hosts after comparing them with other providers. First of all your web hosts should be reliable and efficient. You should select the web hosts after checking the striking offers and features presented by them. Now you can choose the web hosts by comparing the working potential. Check the online working potential of different web hosts and choose the one who has more positive reviews and comments. Selection of the best web hosts is a critical issue and it needs high care. As there are thousands of web hosts working in the field so it has become difficult for the people to find the best hosts.

Check the hosts range. It means you should check the area range of the web hosts.

If the web hosts are working in limited areas then their network will be limited. The web hosts working world wide should be given preference because they can provide your websites and online businesses more web space and better web traffic control. These are called local or domestic and international web hosts so you should search for the international web hosts if you want to get access in all the parts of the world. The type of the web hosts depends on your needs and requirements. For example the people who are working in limited areas need limited networks so they don?t need big networks. While the people who want to promote their online activities and websites in each and every corner of the world should use the services of best web hosting companies.

Using the limited and extended networks of the web hosting depends on your online business requirements. You should choose the best web hosting to promote your online business activities.

Looking for further in turn then visit the link http://www.briwebhosting.com/ and find the best features of the web hosting services and web hosts.

Source: http://www.1directory.net/internet-and-businesses-online/web-hosting/features-of-best-web-hosting-services-1919.html

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Letters to the editor on food stamps, contraception rule ...

How dare state cut aid to U.S. kids?

For the past year I have sat by and watched our state leaders dismantle much that is important to me. It began with the elimination of funding for the arts; the closing of several Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services offices, which made it harder for people in need to get services; and an assault on K-12 education, which forced school districts to lay off teachers and close schools. Though I didn?t agree with these and other actions, I didn?t say anything.

Then I opened The Eagle on Jan. 23 and was confronted by the headline ?Immigrants? kids cut from food-stamp rolls.? I read on in disbelief that our state government would actually do what the headline said. Imagine my shock as I read in the first paragraph that hundreds of low-income, U.S.-born children had been eliminated from receiving food-stamp benefits.

This time I can?t remain silent. Enough is enough. How dare we as a state not feed our children? I urge all citizens who care about their neighbors who happen to be poor, elderly, disabled or children to contact the governor and their state legislators and say, ?Stop this insanity.?

CONNIE DIETZ

Wichita

Slap in the face

Regarding ?Support decision? (Jan. 29 Letters to the Editor): The Catholic Church is not a smorgasbord where one who disagrees can pick and choose which teachings he wants to follow. That would be like pulling pages out of the Bible or the catechism of the Catholic Church.

It is not difficult to find out what the church teaches. In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued his landmark encyclical letter ?Humanae Vitae,? which re-emphasized that it is always intrinsically wrong to use contraception to prevent new human beings from coming into existence.

The Catholic bishops have issued a strong statement vowing to fight the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services edict that, in effect, equates pregnancy with disease and mandates that every employer pay for contraception procedures, including alleged contraceptives that are actually abortion-inducing drugs.

This is a direct attack on religious liberty, freedom of conscience, the social service ministry of the Catholic Church. This mandate has undermined the democratic process by forcing all Americans into a culture of contraception and abortion, and bypasses the legislative process. The mandate comes like a slap in the face, as it will force Catholic institutions to violate Catholic belief, discontinue health care or close their doors.

TERRY BRENNAN

Wichita

Mandate an attack

A letter writer gave her ?Catholic? opinion concerning the recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate on covering contraceptives in health care plans (?Support decision,? Jan. 29 Letters to the Editor). The writer?s basis for her approval of the Obama administration?s far-reaching decree were the ?Catholic principles of taking care of life, family and liberty.? The mandate is an attack on all three.

The church teaches that sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and contraception are wrong, because they either prevent the creation of new life or destroy it. Families have been harmed, not helped, by them. Sexual gratification has become an end, instead of the means through which new life can be created.

One has to twist logic into a pretzel to say that the mandate conforms to liberty. President Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius have launched a full-frontal assault on religious freedom. According to them, they are the final arbiters when it comes to deciding whether an institution is a religious employer. Why are the proponents of ?church-state separation? all of a sudden mute? The federal government is telling religious institutions and programs that they have to choose between violating their conscience and not providing health care coverage for their employees.

HANS ASMUSSEN

Wichita

Slow down on DD

As president of the Starkey Foundation, I urge everyone to read Phillip Brownlee?s commentary ?Remove DD from plan? (Jan. 29 Opinion).

Echoing Brownlee?s view, I think the headlong pace of this effort to move the long-term care of the developmentally disabled into a managed-care system, seemingly without input from knowledgeable and experienced people in the field, borders on irresponsibility.

I urge our political leaders to slow down, seek the views of those in the field, and then do what is right for those of us who are the most vulnerable.

RON TERZIAN

Wichita

Clear thinking

Rep. Tim Huels-kamp, R-Fowler, said that President Obama had as much to do with the killing of Osama bin Laden as Huelskamp had with the Kansas City Chiefs? victory over the Green Bay Packers (?So they said,? Jan. 29 WE Blog excerpts). I am so relieved.

I now know that at least one Republican will not be giving the credit for tearing down the Berlin Wall to Ronald Reagan. The same logic relieves Jimmy Carter of the onus of the failed rescue mission of the Iranian hostages. All Obama and Carter did as commanders in chief was approve the missions and give the orders. All Reagan did was give a speech that included the words, ?Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.?

Thank you to Huelskamp for his levelheaded, clear thinking.

MEL ZIMMERMAN

Wichita

Source: http://www.kansas.com/2012/02/02/2198941/letters-to-the-editor-on-food.html

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How To Find Exotic Animals For Sale | Exotic Pets - uueeduuor's ...

To sell exotic animals are really nice to have at home. They are not only unique, but they also make amazing animals that help you relax and recharge whenever you need. The first step for these unique animals as pets at home, is to know the exact location where you can find and purchase at reasonable prices. Remember that these types of animals at different prices, depending on how rare they are and other factors.

You should keep in mind that exotic animals for sale are not sent. With this, you need to do is to find a good dealer in your area or you can try to find a way that allows you to arrange safe transport of your new pet. The best way for you to look for a dealer in exotic animals is well connected to the Internet. This way, your online research you can quickly and easily view different quotes from different dealers of exotic animals and a few comments and feedback from previous customers. In this way, can actually make the person you have to deal with, is a reputable and trustworthy. But before you do your scouting, you need an eye in the first case. Remember that you will find unique and rare animals, and they are not so easy to recognize if you know what it is exactly what you need, is necessary. Once you are on the nature of the beast who want to decide to achieve, you can give some research on Google, just the kind of animal you want. You can also use a search like this: ?Name of the Beast,? then the word ?breeder?.

Some of the best exotic pets that you can go here for the coatis would kinkajous, lemur, red kangaroos, ferrets, chinchillas, dormice, guinea pigs, pot-bellied pigs and lemurs. If you get an animal, you should not just everything. Instead, some good reading about the characteristics of your pet, so you know how good they look. This way you can in different preparations you need to take, so you can create quality habitat for your new pet in your home. Then you need to obey the laws, read the ownership of certain animals in your state. You need to be sure, this kind of animal is legal in your area.

The next step, you have to do is a good veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals. Do you have a vet near at hand, you can call someone if you have problems with your pet. Finally, to arrange for the transportation of your new pet.

Source: http://www.dailazoo.net/how-to-find-exotic-animals-for-sale

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Source: http://uueeduuor.posterous.com/how-to-find-exotic-animals-for-sale-exotic-pe

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Serbia: 11,000 trapped in remote villages by snow (AP)

BELGRADE, Serbia ? At least 11,000 villagers have been trapped by heavy snow and blizzards in Serbia's mountains, authorities said Thursday, as the death toll from Eastern Europe's weeklong deep freeze rose to 122, many of them homeless people.

The harshest winter in decades has seen temperatures in some regions dropping to minus 30 C (minus 22 F) and below, and has caused power outages, traffic chaos and the widespread closure of schools, nurseries and airports.

The stranded in Serbia are stuck in some 6,500 homes in remote areas that cannot be reached due to icy, snow-clogged roads with banks reaching up to 5 meters (16 feet). Emergency crews were pressing hard to try to clear the snow to deliver badly needed supplies, and helicopters were dispatched to some particularly remote areas in Serbia and neighboring Bosnia.

On Bosnia's Mt. Romanija, near Sarajevo, a chopper thumped down in the small hamlet of Ozerkovici, where a single nun lives in a Serb Christian Orthodox monastery surrounded by just a few village residents.

Wrapped tight in a black jacket and a scarf, Sister Justina greeted aid workers at her monastery: "I live alone here," she said, but noted "God will help me."

In Serbia, relief efforts are concentrated on evacuating the sick, on food delivery and gasoline distribution.

"We are trying everything to unblock the roads since more snow and blizzards are expected in the coming days," Serbian emergency police official Predrag Maric told The Associated Press.

He said "the most dramatic" situation is near Serbia's southwestern town of Sijenica, where it has been freezing cold or snowing for 26 days, and diesel fuel supplies used by snowplows are running low.

Most people in the villages will have enough food supplies stored up for the winter, Maric said, but he warned those who are stranded not to try to go anywhere on their own and to call emergency services if they need help.

Newly reported deaths on Thursday because of the cold included 20 in Ukraine, nine in Poland, eight in Romania, and one more each in Serbia and the Czech Republic. In Western Europe, one person was reported dead in Germany.

Polish government spokeswoman Malgorzata Wozniak said her country's victims were mostly homeless people under the influence of alcohol who had sought shelter in unheated buildings. Officials appealed to the public to quickly help anyone they saw in need and homeless shelters were full.

In Warsaw, where the temperature Wednesday night was minus 22 C (minus 8 F), the narrow corridors of the Monar homeless shelter were filled with drying washing, and the residents crammed into a small dining room with bowls of soup.

Martyna, pregnant and unemployed, said she was grateful to find a place there after her family rejected her and her partner.

"This is the only safe place for me, where I can live and hide ? from this sudden cold, too," the 22-year-old said. "I have nowhere else to go." She refused to give her last name, saying she didn't want anyone to know she was staying there.

Brothers Robert, 32, and Wieslaw, 27, arrived last week from Inowroclaw, in central Poland, saying they were promised full-time jobs that never materialized. They would have been left in the cold, but someone told them to go to the center, which currently houses 278 people.

"We don't have to worry anymore where we will spend the night," said Wieslaw.

"It is so cold outside that you don't want to leave here," his brother agreed.

Firefighters in Poland say that eleven people have died since Friday from asphyxiation with carbon monoxide, when they were using charcoal heaters to warm their homes.

In Ukraine, 63 people have died from the cold in the last week. Nearly 950 others were hospitalized with hypothermia and frostbite, and more than 2,000 heated tents have been set up with hot food for the homeless.

About 180 schools were closed in Romania because of the freezing cold. Three ships were blocked on the Danube River ? one German, one Dutch and one Romanian ? and efforts were made to unblock them from ice.

In Bulgaria, where 16 towns recorded their lowest temperatures since records started 100 years ago, 1,070 schools across the country remained closed Thursday and large sections of the Danube were frozen, hampering navigation. Some villages in Bosnia have had no electricity for days and crews were working around-the-clock trying to fix power lines.

Temperatures in parts of Germany were as low as minus 11 Celsius (12 Fahrenheit) Thursday afternoon. In the eastern city of Magdeburg, police said a 55-year-old homeless man who apparently had frozen to death was found Thursday morning.

While the weather has yet to cause any significant disruption in the country, ferry services across the mouth of the Elbe river in northern Germany were suspended due to ice on Thursday.

However, the cold wave wasn't causing hardship everywhere.

Dutch authorities banned boats from some of Amsterdam's canals and waterways in the hope the big freeze gripping the city would turn the still water to ice and allow residents to go skating. They also turned off mills and pumps that regulate water levels in the low-lying, flood-prone nation to improve the chances of canals freezing over.

Speed skating is a winter obsession in the Netherlands and hopes are high about the possibility of holding the Elfstedentocht ? or "11 Town Tour" ? skating race being staged for the first time since 1997.

The 200-kilometer (125-mile) tour route takes skaters over frozen canals and lakes linking 11 towns in the northern Netherlands. The tour, which is also a race for elite skaters, has only been staged 15 times since the first official event in 1909.

___

Scislowska reported from Warsaw. Radul Radovanovic and Aida Cerkez in Bosnia, Alina Wolfe Murray in Romania, Veselin Toshkov in Bulgaria, Jovana Gec in Serbia and Mike Corder in the Netherlands contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120202/ap_on_re_eu/eu_europe_weather

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Book Summaries 24/7: BookDaily Genre Sampler: Sports and ...

Chapter One

Getting Started with Digital Maps

In This Chapter

* Discovering digital maps

* Using digital maps

* Discovering types of map programs

* Understanding the differences between Geographic Information System (GIS) and consumer mapping programs

This chapter introduces you to the fundamentals of digital maps. You find out what a digital map is, the differences between static and smart digital maps, and the different types of programs available for using digital maps.

What Is a Digital Map?

Any map is a picture of where things are, generally associated with our planet and its geographic or man-made features. Road maps, hiking maps, maps to Hollywood stars, and all sorts of other maps provide a sense of place and often help you get from one place to another.

Most maps are printed on paper. That's pretty convenient. They can be folded into a lightweight, compact bundle (if you've had a little practice). Digital maps (maps made on a computer or meant to be used with a computer) serve the same purpose as their paper cousins. It's just more difficult to fold a CD.

Digital mapmaking is a significant leap forward from traditional paper maps.

? Maps can be made faster, cheaper, and more accurately.

This is important because of how quickly new roads, subdivisions, and development projects pop up in fast-growing urban areas. An old street map isn't much help in a new subdivision with a couple of hundred homes. The same problem affects political maps; an example is the change in national names and borders after the end of the Soviet Union.

? Digital map data can be used with mapping software to make digital maps on your personal computer.

Read on to discover the many types of digital maps.

Static map

A static map is the simplest form of digital map. Often it's a paper map that's been scanned and turned into a BMP (bitmap) or JPG (graphic) file. Aside from displaying it, printing it, and perhaps making a few edits, what you can do with the map is limited.

Static maps used to be the only type; often, a static map is all you need.

Smart map

Smart digital maps (as shown in Figure 1-1) may look like static maps, but data is associated with map locations. The data can be as basic as the latitude and longitude of a point, or as detailed about vegetation, soil type, and slope.

Spatial or geospatial data is associated with a place. The place can be smaller than a meter or as large as a country. Spatial data can be stored two ways:

? Embedded in a map graphic file

? Separate files with references to the locations

TECHNICAL STUFF

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a popular format for storing graphics files. The GeoTIFF extension embeds geographic tags into map images. If you view a GeoTIFF file with a standard graphics program, it looks like an ordinary map. A program that uses the data tags can access the spatial data associated with each pixel in the image.

Mapping Programs

Although many different kinds of mapping programs are available, you can classify map programs in two types: consumer programs and Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Here is a quick look at each type.

Consumer programs

A consumer mapping program is software that displays street maps, topographic maps, marine charts, or aeronautical charts. Such mapping programs are easier to use (and much less expensive) than their professional counterparts, meeting most computer users' mapping needs.

This book focuses on mapping programs available to consumers.

GIS (Geographic Information System)

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is an information system that analyzes, inputs, manipulates, outputs, retrieves, and stores spatial data. GIS is mostly used by governments; large corporations; and engineering and GIS consulting firms for land, natural resources, transportation, environmental, and urban planning and management.

TECHNICAL STUFF

Some people use the terms digital map and GIS interchangeably. This really isn't correct. GIS isn't just about making maps. GIS involves using computers and special software to help people make decisions by using spatial data.

Distinguishing between consumer mapping programs and GIS programs is important:

? GIS software, which is sold primarily to governments, corporations, and consulting firms, is flexible, powerful, and relatively expensive.

? Consumer mapping programs target the needs of average computer users. These programs are much more limited in scope and functionality - and a lot less expensive - than GIS programs.

REMEMBER

GIS software typically has a steep learning curve; you can earn advanced degrees in GIS. Consumer mapping programs can mostly be used right out of the box and can be mastered in a relatively short period of time.

A typical consumer mapping program is a road map program that costs about $30 and provides exact routing directions to get from one location to another. This isn't a static map because it has underlying data (such as street names, distances, and gas stations), which can lead you to think it's a GIS program. Not so. A true GIS program has built-in precision tools that can (for example) let you input data about traffic flow and vehicle speeds, and then display every street where traffic volume exceeds 500 cars per hour and vehicle speeds are .5 miles an hour over the speed limit. The price tag for such a GIS program would be at least $1,000, not to mention the costs of training people to use it and gathering all the traffic data to input into the system.

TIP

Of course, if you have a burning need for high-end precision and complexity, it's still possible to get into GIS on the cheap. A growing community is developing open source and free GIS programs. Although many of these programs lack the polish of a commercial product, they do get the job done. The http:// opensourcegis.org and www.freegis.org Web sites are two excellent resources for finding out more about free GIS programs.

Using Digital Maps

There's an old song that goes, "Anything you can do, I can do better." If digital maps could sing that tune to their paper counterparts, they'd be right (for the most part). Digital mapping software offers all sorts of enhancements over paper maps, including these capabilities:

? Finding street addresses quickly

? Interfacing with GPS receivers to see where you are or where you were

? Showing driving directions to just about anywhere

? Displaying terrain three-dimensionally

? Annotating maps with pop-up information

? Creating custom maps

? Printing a hard copy map (which is sometimes the most important)

Digital maps do have a few drawbacks, including these:

TIP

? You need a computer.

If you have a laptop or personal digital assistant (PDA), you can take mapping software on the road with you.

? You need software.

This book helps you select and use software packages, particularly mapping programs in the free-$100 price range.

? You have to spend time mastering the software.

Most mapping software is readily usable, but all programs have nuances that sometimes make their features and user interfaces a little tricky.

Mapping Software: The Essentials

The first step for digital mapping is to understand the available types of mapping programs and their capabilities and limitations; that's what this part of the book is all about.

After you know what software is available, you can match it to your needs. An invitation to a birthday party may consist only of displaying a screen capture of a street map on a Web site, editing and saving the map in Paint, and then e-mailing it to friends. A week-long backpacking expedition would require a topographic mapping program (showing land features) to plan your route, view elevation profiles, and upload location data to your GPS receiver.

Before you can select the right tool for the right job, you need a general handle on the options that you can include in your digital-mapping tool chest. This section of the book organizes mapping programs into three categories:

? Standalone programs

? Programs bundled with maps

? Web-hosted mapping services

Standalone programs

A standalone program is a program that can open and use digital maps. These programs typically don't come with map data, and you'll need to download or purchase the maps you're interested in using.

Like with a word processor or a spreadsheet, a mapping program needs someone to input data before it can be useful. In this case, the data is bits and bytes that describe how a map should be displayed. Fortunately, an amazing amount of map data is freely available on the Internet, most of it already collected by the government and in the public domain.

A big market exists for commercial map data. People buy data to use with their mapping programs because

? Free data may not be available for an area or a specific need.

? Commercial data may be enhanced with information unavailable in the free versions.

? Firing up a CD filled with data is more convenient than searching for free data and then downloading it.

Many standalone mapping programs aren't tied to one data type. (Chapter 2 shows which types of digital map data are commonly used.) Figure 1-2 shows a three-dimensional map of Mount St. Helens created with 3DEM from free U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) digital elevation map (DEM) data. (Mount St. Helens, an active volcano in Washington State, erupted in 1980.) The elevation map shows the crater and how the volcano blew out its side.

Map programs are viewers, editors, or both:

? Viewers show only maps.

? Editors can make changes.

Usually you can't change a base map you've opened from a data file, but you can add text and draw shapes on top of the map.

Many standalone programs are either free or shareware. Two aspects of such programs are especially worth noting:

? Some manufacturers offer free (or cheap) limited-feature versions of their products that are otherwise available as pricy commercial software.

? Standalone mapping programs are mostly suited to a user who has intermediate to advanced computer skills and experience.

Examples of standalone mapping programs include OziExplorer (www. oziexplorer.com), USAPhotoMaps (http://jdmcox.com), and 3DEM (www.visualizationsoftware.com/3dem.html). Don't forget that you can also make maps with Paint or any other general-purpose graphics program. This book shows how to use these programs and others.

TIP

Some free, noncommercial mapping programs have advanced features that are normally more suited to professional users. Don't be intimidated by every feature and option. You can use some commands and features to make maps for your needs. And you can master those other features if you ever need to.

WARNING!

One big disadvantage to standalone mapping programs is that you need to search the Internet for the data you need, find and download it, and then open it with the map program. This process sometimes involves registering a map so that the coordinates all line up. Also, even with a high-speed Internet connection, downloading can still be a hassle. And after all that, you still have to find the map data for an area that you want to view, and then successfully load all that stuff into the mapping program.

Programs with bundled maps

Mapping companies bundle software with digital maps. The program comes with the map data and is distributed on CDs or DVDs; static or smart maps that have a lot of detail can be quite large in size. You install the mapping program, and you're immediately ready to start using the data on the CD.

Data files bundled with software are often in a proprietary file format, which can be read and used only with the software that comes with the product. The same usually holds true for maps that you can upload to a GPS receiver; only maps from the manufacturer can be used.

Sometimes you don't have much choice between using a standalone program or one bundled with maps.

? Topographic map data of the United States is widely available for free. You can use a number of free or shareware programs to view maps.

? Only outdated Census Bureau map data is available for United States streets and roads. Most free or shareware programs don't match the features in commercial products.

Software that comes with bundled maps has gotten incredibly cheap over the years. With discounts and rebates, you can often find road atlas software for around $20 that covers the entire United States. For a little under $100, you can buy programs that come with a full set of detailed digital topographic maps for an entire state. Considering that a single paper USGS 1:24,000 map costs around $7 - and there can easily be over a thousand maps per state - that's a pretty decent value. Figure 1-3 shows a map made by Terrain Navigator (www.maptech.com/land/TerrainNavigator), which is a topographic mapping program that comes bundled with map data.

TIP

Manufacturers that sell bundled map programs (particularly those with street and road data) usually come out with a new release of their product every year or so. In addition to enhancements in the software, the map data contains new roads and updated services information (such as gas stations, restaurants, and hotels, called POIs, or Points of Interest). Whether you buy an updated copy of the software every year depends on your circumstances. If you usually travel on major roads, or in areas that haven't experienced much development and growth, you probably don't need to update every year. On the other hand, road atlas software is fairly inexpensive, so if you travel a lot and rely on the program, it can be a cheap investment.

If you have beginning to intermediate computer skills and experience, you can come up to speed quickly with bundled map programs. The user interfaces are generally simpler than those found in feature-rich, standalone programs.

Examples of programs that come bundled with maps are DeLorme's Street Atlas USA (www.delorme.com), National Geographic's TOPO! (http:// maps.nationalgeographic.com/topo), and mapping software from GPS manufacturers that interfaces with their receivers.

(Continues...)

Source: http://6minutesummary.blogspot.com/2012/01/bookdaily-genre-sampler-sports-and_31.html

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'X Factor' Loses Another Star (omg!)

After the sad news of Steve Jones' departure from The X Factor, TheInsider.com has learned the not-so-bad news that Nicole Scherzinger will be joining him.

Steve Jones Out as X Factor Host

FOX confirmed to us that Nicole will not be returning to the show next season.

The news is hardly a surprise after the downright outrage over Nicole's indecision last season which caused Rachel Crow to be sent home, and left the teenager in tears, but it is still unclear whether her departure was forced or voluntary.

The Devastating X Factor Cut

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_another_x_factor_judge_exits_show030700605/44360373/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/another-x-factor-judge-exits-show-030700605.html

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