How an Atlanta Woman's Water Bill Ballooned from $500 to $9,000 in Less Than a Year

How an Atlanta Woman's Water Bill Ballooned from $500 to $9,000 in Less Than a Year -Atlanta, Ga.-based realtor Blayne Beacham knew something was wrong when her she opened up her water bill last July.

The bill was many times the usual amount, totaling $497. Figuring a leak was the a problem, she called a handyman over to her three-bedroom home to check things out.

While he fiddled with her bathroom toilets and replaced all the valves and handles (there was no leak to be found), she appealed the bill to the city's Department of Watershed Management and set up a $100/month payment plan to keep them off her back in the meantime.

But "they turned down my appeal," Beacham said in a blog post detailing her experience. "Basically they sent someone out to check my meter and said there was nothing wrong with the meter. On October 13, I got a notice in the mail saying that my entire balance––$384.26––was due that day or they would turn off my water."

She bit the bullet and paid, but by the time December rolled around, her bill had ballooned to $758.93.

 

Photo: Blayne Beacham"We called the water department and worked out an agreement where I would pay them $120 a month until I could get a court date," said Beacham, who lives alone. "That number was based on my neighbor down the street’s average monthly water bill." Her neighbor also has four children.

She even went so far as to tally up her water usage per month, keeping track of every flush, load of laundry, dishwasher cycle and shower she took over a 30-day period.

" I can’t think of any other time I use water unless I am drinking it or rinsing my dishes," she said. "(My dog) Sister gets one tiny bowl of water a day, and I am thinking of asking her to cut back."

The water department sent another representative to check her meter but nothing turned up out of the ordinary. A return visit from the handyman yielded no other clues and Beacham shelled out another $600 to the water company while awaiting her court date.

By spring, her bill totaled $1,430.00 worth of back charges plus another $1,155.82 that was left unpaid in April. When all was said and done, even with a certified plumber declaring her meter glitch-free, Beacham lost her appeal to the water department.

"I called back the public relations manager to see what I should do moving forward," she said. "This time she told me that after looking at my consumption history, they decided that I had a leak in the past and got it fixed. This is absolutely absurd. I have no way of proving I did not get a leak fixed, because I did not have a leak... I am at the end of my rope."

In mid-June, Beacham opened the mail to find she was in deeper than she thought: She owed $9,224.40: "$2,638.68 worth of past charges, and $6,705.72 worth of new charges," she said.

According to Watershed Management spokesperson Janet Ward, they're trying to get to the bottom of the issue.

"We did install a data logger, which measures hour-by-hour usage that can help us determine if there are any times of the day when usage seems out of kilter," Ward told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "So that means we can’t know anything until the middle of July," since the meter has to run for 30 days.

As of Wednesday, Beacham had wrapped up another round of meetings with the company but told Business Insider by phone that things are still up in the air.

"I've had meetings with them and the problem is just unresolved," she said. "They've given me a little more time to do some research."

DON'T MISS: This California couple retired on an Argentine vineyard for only $150,000 > ( Business Insider )

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Jerry Sandusky insists he's not guilty

Lawyer: Jerry Sandusky insists he's not guilty — As Jerry Sandusky insisted through a lawyer Monday that he is not guilty of sexually abusing children, a juror who voted to convict the retired Penn State assistant coach said she hoped the verdict would help his accusers heal.

The jury found the testimony of the eight victims who took the witness stand compelling, Ann Van Kuren said Monday. Jurors weighed the accounts and evidence diligently before finding Sandusky guilty last week of 45 counts for sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, she said.

She expressed empathy for the eight men who offered emotional and explicit testimony.

 

Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, right, is escorted by Centre County Sheriff Denny Nau, left, as he is taken into custody at the Centre County Courthouse after being found guilty of multiple charges of child sexual abuse in Bellefonte, Pa., Friday, June 22, 2012. Sandusky was convicted of sexually assaulting 10 boys over 15 years on Friday, accusations that had sent shock waves through the college campus known as Happy Valley and led to the firing of Penn State's beloved Hall of Fame coach, Joe Paterno. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

"I really feel for the victims and any other victims that are out there that haven't come forward," Van Kuren said. "That all of them need to heal. I'm hoping that this trial, with this verdict, will help them heal."

The sweeping case rocked the Penn State community following Sandusky's arrest in November. The ensuing scandal led to the ousters of Sandusky's former boss — Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno — and the university's president, while forcing a re-examination of the role that college administrators played in reporting abuse allegations.

Sandusky, 68, is under observation at the Centre County jail, where he is being kept away from other inmates pending a psychological review that will help determine the next step toward his sentencing in about three months.

"He's defiant and wants the truth to be told. He wants people to know that he's not guilty," said defense lawyer Karl Rominger, who visited his incarcerated client Monday.

Also Monday, Judge John Cleland ordered county probation officers to evaluate whether Sandusky is a sexual predator, a finding that could factor into his prison placement. Such orders are pro forma in sex abuse cases. Sex offenders are required to undergo treatment while in prison, so Sandusky, if deemed a predator, would likely be sent to a facility with such a program.

Sandusky, who has been placed under a suicide watch, said he doesn't want to kill himself and wants to get the separate psychological examination done so that he can receive visits from his friends and family, Rominger said.

"He's fine but he's just not been evaluated," the lawyer said.

"He is very disappointed to be in prison. He is anxious to get out of this suicide watch," Rominger said, adding that Sandusky told him: "If I have to keep sitting in this room for another three or four days without being able to talk to anybody, I might start to need help at that point."

The state investigation into Sandusky didn't begin until after the ex-coach was barred from a high school in 2009, when a mother complained about the former coach. At the time, Gov. Tom Corbett was the state attorney general. Charges were filed in November 2011.

Investigators took into account Sandusky's status as a celebrated assistant coach in building the case, Corbett said Monday when asked in Harrisburg why charges weren't filed after the first accuser came forward.

"If it's one-on-one and now put the celebrity status in, put (that) Jerry Sandusky is loved by everybody ... how can anybody say there must be something wrong," Corbett said. "You'd better corroborate it, and that's what they started doing. They started pulling strings and gathering and gathering and gathering, and that's my experience. You build those cases, as well as you can."

Corbett said that while he worried that Sandusky might find a new victim while the investigation continued, "I believed (Sandusky) had to know we were looking at him at some point in time. In a sense, if you know that they're looking at you, you kind of back away. But it was a calculated risk, not one that you really easily want to take."

Sandusky has repeatedly maintained his innocence. He will likely die in prison, given mandatory minimum sentencing requirements.

The conviction is just the start of possibly years of legal proceedings over the case. Besides appeals, there remains an active investigation into Sandusky by the state attorney general's office, as well as a federal investigation.

Corbett said Penn State trustees are still awaiting the results of an internal investigation by former FBI director Louis Freeh into the school's handling of the Sandusky case.

The university could also face a wave of new lawsuits. An hour after the verdict Friday night, Penn State said in a statement it was inviting victims to "participate in a program to facilitate the resolution of claims against the university arising out of Mr. Sandusky's conduct." The school said it sought to address victims' concerns privately, expeditiously and fairly.

Asked to clarify Monday, school spokesman Dave LaTorre said the university won't discuss details about litigation or how much money might be set aside for potential settlements, and declined to comment further.

The verdict was another hurdle for a fractured Penn State community eager to continue what figures to be a long, arduous healing process. Artist Michael Pilato hoped to aid in that effort Monday when he painted a blue ribbon — a symbol for awareness of child sexual abuse — on the portion of his "Inspiration State College" mural downtown that once included Sandusky.

Over the weekend, he replaced the Sandusky image with Van Kuren's red handprint and a depiction of Dora McQuaid, a poet and advocate for domestic and sexual violence victims and issues. McQuaid is a Penn State graduate and former professor.

Van Kuren said she and Pilato were connected over the weekend through a mutual acquaintance.

"These young people that were the victims of the Sandusky case in my mind are the survivors," Pilato said. He painted the blue ribbon around McQuaid's image.

Van Kuren, who runs a nonprofit dance company, called the last few weeks difficult as she and other jurors were ordered to refrain from watching or reading the news and talking about the case with family and friends.

Jurors, she said, took a systematic approach in deliberations, weighing the counts in order as laid out in the state's presentment. Van Kuren said that in instances when jurors had additional questions for the judge — such as when the jury requested a re-reading of key prosecution witness Mike McQueary's testimony of a 2001 allegation between Sandusky and a child in a shower — they put counts related to that victim aside and moved to the next set of charges.

Asked about her perception now of Sandusky, Van Kuren said "I think we all felt that when we saw him, and even now what we hear about him, (that) he knows what he did."

The jury had a good rapport, but the difficult part about deliberations, she said, was the volume of testimony and evidence that had to be weighed. The jurors were respectful of the situations of "all parties" and took everything into consideration, she added. ( Associated Press )

READ MORE - Jerry Sandusky insists he's not guilty

New Nigeria museum fetes late Afrobeat singer Fela

New Nigeria museum fetes late Afrobeat singer Fela — "FELA LIVES," reads the Gothic-lettered tattoo on the back of one of the sons of the legendary Afrobeat singer from Nigeria. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti died 15 years ago but his name seems to be mentioned more now than ever.

Radio stations across Africa's most populous nation continue to play his trumpet-and-saxophone-infused songs, the girlish cries of his female backup singers ringing out of tinny speakers in crowded buses. Leaders he linked in songs to corruption remain close to the levers of power in this oil-rich but poverty-stricken country. He's a legend among unemployed gang members and academics alike and was the subject of a smash Broadway musical produced by some of the biggest celebrities in the U.S.

 

Associated Press - Seun Kuti, the son of Late Afrobeat Legend Fela Kuti, attends opening of Kalakuta Museum in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, Oct. 15, 2012. The family of late Afrobeat singer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti celebrated the opening of the Kalakuta Museum on Monday in Lagos in the home the musician once lived in. The opening of the museum comes during Felabration, an annual music festival honoring the singer. (AP Photo / Sunday Alamba)

Now, the family house where his remains lie has become a government-endorsed museum that offers a look inside his life, as well as the challenges still facing Nigeria years after his death.

"In one of his songs, (Fela) said it takes 10 years for us to catch up to his message," said Theo Lawson, the architect who helped design the new museum. "The expectation, I think, would be that the people would rise up and demand their rights and this didn't happen because everybody was scared.

"Fela's been dead for 15 years and unfortunately, we're still where we are. It's probably longer than he anticipated."

Fela created Afrobeat in the late 1960s, mixing the rhythm of jazz, the catchiness of pop music and traditions of African mysticism into 10-minute-long songs riffing on politics and sex in a nation only recently freed from colonialism. He embraced the idea of pan-African leadership and openly criticized the military rulers who revolved in and out of power in Nigeria when others had been cowed into silence.

Many in Nigeria, at times a very religious and conservative nation, shied away from Fela over his heavily publicized sexual appetite and marijuana use. His escapades became the fodder for endless and titillating newspaper headlines, including marrying more than 20 women at the same time, living in a free-sex commune and smoking massive spliffs during performances. The military and police, never amused, conducted raid after raid on his home, which he declared the Kalakuta Republic. In one such assault, soldiers so severely beat Fela's mother, an activist in her own right, that she later died of her injuries.

Those government crackdowns, as well as disapproval of his lifestyle, stopped some Nigerians from accepting Fela, said Lemi Ghariokwu, who designed many of the musician's album covers. That coldness continued even after Fela died in 1997 of complications brought on by AIDS. The disease sapped his energy to perform in his last years, even though he dismissed AIDS in song and called safe sex "unnatural." His children since have been advocates of safe sex and AIDS awareness.

"If you go to Jamaica, there's a Bob Marley museum," Ghariokwu said, mentioning another singer with an affinity for marijuana. "The government of Jamaica gave Bob Marley (one of) its highest national honors, because they can see beyond."

While Fela's son Femi Kuti performs at The New Afrika Shrine, which is in honor of his father's former performance space, family and friends wanted a formal place to honor the musician. They decided to remodel the family home, which sits on a narrow street in Lagos' sprawling Ikeja neighborhood near the city's international airport. The Kalakuta Museum includes a wall holding Fela's shoes, photographs of him and his family, murals and album art. It also features his room as he left it at the time of his death, with VHS tapes, a giant inflatable globe and racks of clothes hanging above a simple twin bed. Pillows and a sheet lay nearby, a remembrance of how he slept on the floor, weakened as AIDS slowly killed him, Ghariokwu said.

On Monday, which would have been Fela's 74th birthday, his sons Seun and Femi and daughter Yeni celebrated the opening of the museum, which will include a boutique hotel and a rooftop lounge and concert space. The opening comes during Felabration, an annual week of concerts put on by his children to honor their father's musical legacy.

Lagos state government provided $250,000 for remodeling the home into a museum, Lawson said. Yet Femi Kuti made a point to say the family will continue to say whatever it feels like saying.

"We are not a family that is supporting the government, because of what my father stood for," he said. But he applauded local officials for "being brave enough to be identified with the name that many people fear and shy away from."

As he spoke, a giant diesel generator nearby kicked on, drowning out his words and showing how electric power remains out of reach for many in Nigeria. Later, someone tried to walk off with a pair of Fela's shoes from the racks hanging in the museum, a sign of the country's struggles with lawlessness.

But Fela's now-grown children laughed and smiled, shouted and waved as they walked past portraits showing them as infants with unlined faces. By the end, they rushed down several flights of stairs, champagne flutes in hand, laughing and calling out: "Soldiers coming!"

Below, their father's crypt sat just in front of the museum. A green bottle of schnapps lay on the tomb's steps, as if someone awaited his company for one more drink. ( Associated Press )

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Science overturns view of humans as naturally 'nasty'

Science overturns view of humans as naturally 'nasty' - Biological research increasingly debunks the view of humanity as competitive, aggressive and brutish, a leading specialist in primate behavior told a major science conference Monday.

"Humans have a lot of pro-social tendencies," Frans de Waal, a biologist at Emory University in Atlanta, told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Children play in Bangkok in 2011. Biological research increasingly debunks the view of humanity as competitive, aggressive and brutish, a leading specialist in primate behavior told a major science conference Monday. (AFP Photo/Saeed Khan)

New research on higher animals from primates and elephants to mice shows there is a biological basis for behavior such as cooperation, said de Waal, author of "The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society."

Until just 12 years ago, the common view among scientists was that humans were "nasty" at the core but had developed a veneer of morality -- albeit a thin one, de Waal told scientists and journalists from some 50 countries.

But human children -- and most higher animals -- are "moral" in a scientific sense, because they need to cooperate with each other to reproduce and pass on their genes, he said.

Research has disproved the view, dominant since the 19th century, typical of biologist Thomas Henry Huxley's argument that morality is absent in nature and something created by humans, said de Waal.

And common assumptions that the harsh view was promoted by Charles Darwin, the so-called father of evolution, are also wrong, he said.

"Darwin was much smarter than most of his followers," said de Waal, quoting from Darwin's "The Descent of Man" that animals that developed "well-marked social instincts would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience."

De Waal showed the audience videos from laboratories revealing the dramatic emotional distress of a monkey denied a treat that another monkey received; and of a rat giving up chocolate in order to help another rat escape from a trap.

Such research shows that animals naturally have pro-social tendencies for "reciprocity, fairness, empathy and consolation," said de Waal, a Dutch biologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Human morality is unthinkable without empathy."

Asked if wide public acceptance of empathy as natural would change the intense competition on which capitalist economic and political systems are based, de Waal quipped, "I'm just a monkey watcher."

But he told reporters that research also shows animals bestow their empathy on animals they are familiar with in their "in-group" -- and that natural tendency is a challenge in a globalized human world.

"Morality" developed in humans in small communities, he said, adding: "It's a challenge... it's experimental for the human species to apply a system intended for (in-groups) to the whole world." ( AFP )

READ MORE - Science overturns view of humans as naturally 'nasty'

Osama Bin Laden - The false story of his life meets the false story of his death

Osama Bin Laden - The false story of his life meets the false story of his death - First we hunt you down. Then we blow a hole in your face. Then we dump your body in the sea, where no one can find your grave. Then we destroy the last thing left of you: your reputation.

This isn't cruelty. It's strategy. Al-Qaida's greatest strength—diffusion—is also its greatest weakness. It's a scattered network held together by the legend of Osama Bin Laden. We took his life. Now we're out to liquidate his legend.

John Brennan, President Obama's counterterrorism coordinator, understands this. Killing Bin Laden was only the first step. The next step is to use his death to demoralize and divide his followers. "We have a lot better opportunity now that … Bin Laden is out of there to destroy that organization, create fractures within it," Brennan said at a White House briefing Monday. "The number two, Zawahiri, is not charismatic. … You're going to see them start eating themselves from within."

Osama Bin Laden - The false story of his life meets the false story of his death

To accelerate this fratricide, Brennan issued a damning account of Bin Laden's behavior during the raid on his compound. "He was engaged in a firefight with those that entered the area of the house he was in," said Brennan. During this shootout, "there was a female who was in fact in the line of fire that reportedly was used … to shield bin Laden." Brennan concluded:

Here is Bin Laden, who has been calling for these attacks, living in this million-dollar-plus compound, living in an area that is far removed from the front, hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield. I think it really just speaks to just how false his narrative has been over the years.

At a Pentagon briefing, a senior defense official told the same story: Bin Laden was "living in a mansion that was eight times the size of any other structure in the neighborhood, living rather comfortably. He and some other male combatants on the target appeared to use—certainly did use women as shields." A senior intelligence official repeated that Bin Laden "died during a firefight" and that "many of his terrorist associates in other parts of Pakistan and throughout the region are living in much more dire conditions. So you have to be wondering what they're thinking at this moment when they see that their leader was living, relatively speaking, high on the hog."

Across the Atlantic, British Prime Minister David Cameron echoed this talking point:

The myth of Bin Laden was one of a freedom fighter living in austerity, risking his life for the cause as he moved around in the hills and mountainous caverns of the tribal areas. The reality of Bin Laden was very different: a man who encouraged others to make the ultimate sacrifice while he himself hid in the comfort of a large expensive villa in Pakistan, experiencing none of the hardship he expected his supporters to endure.

But the image of Bin Laden shooting at U.S. commandos from behind an innocent woman also turns out to be a myth. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney issued a revised "narrative" of the raid, courtesy of the Defense Department. It says the commandos started "on the first floor of the Bin Laden house and worked their way to the third floor." The people who fired at the commandos died on the first floor. Bin Laden was upstairs and "was not armed."

A reporter asked Carney "which of those women was being used a human shield, as Mr. Brennan suggested yesterday." Carney answered: "The woman I believe you're talking about might have been the one on the first floor who was caught in the crossfire. Whether or not she was being used as a shield or trying to use herself as a shield or simply caught in crossfire is unclear." What's clear is that Bin Laden, who was upstairs, couldn't have used her as a shield.

Carney blamed the misleading early reports on the "fog of war." But a fog of war creates confusion, not a consistent story like the one about the human shield. The reason U.S. officials bought and sold this story is that it fit their larger indictment of Bin Laden. It reinforced the shameful picture of him hiding in a mansion while sending others to fight and die. It made him look like a coward.

This is the narrative that's really at stake. A narrative isn't just a chronology. It's a tale woven with themes. For 20 years, Bin Laden peddled a tale of oppression and jihad. In elaborate video and audio messages, he depicted al-Qaida's trail of bombings as a Muslim struggle against Western persecution. He wasn't just a terrorist. He was a storyteller.

That's the story Brennan sought to undermine when he cited Bin Laden's use of a human shield to show "how false his narrative has been over the years." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also targeted Bin Laden's story. In a statement trumpeting his death, she argued that "people across the Middle East and North Africa are rejecting the extremist narratives and charting a path of peaceful progress." Carney, too, warned against false interpretations. "It would be a shame," he warned, if Bin Laden's killing "became a piece in a partisan narrative."

Carney is right. So are Brennan, Clinton, and Cameron. Bin Laden was a delusional mass murderer, and his narrative was false. But you can't debunk one false narrative with another. The firefight at Bin Laden's compound, it now appears, pitted two or three men against a dozen or more commandos. Bin Laden didn't engage in the firefight and used no human shield. He wasn't even armed. We shot him dead anyway. That's the truth. Deal with it. ( salte.com )

READ MORE - Osama Bin Laden - The false story of his life meets the false story of his death

Sex, lies and pomegranate juice focus of US legal battle

Sex, lies and pomegranate juice focus of US legal battle – If the claims are to be believed, pomegranate juice can change your life, preventing prostate and breast cancer, protecting against heart disease and even alleviating erectile dysfunction.

Could it be the elixir from the original fruit of the Garden of Eden? No, says the US Federal Trade Commission, which is suing the California group POM Wonderful for making "false and unsubstantiated claims" about its products.

POM has said it would challenge the FTC, setting up a high-profile battle between the maker of the popular juice and authorities over the so-called superfood which has also been purported to help fight Alzheimer's disease and arthritis and improve sperm quality.

AFP/File – A bottle of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice is seen in this file photo. If the claims are to be believed, …

"Any consumer who sees POM Wonderful products as a silver bullet against disease has been misled," said David Vladeck, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection.

The company, a unit of the Roll International group that includes Teleflora and Fiji Water, is gearing up for battle. It has filed its own lawsuit against the FTC alleging interference with its free speech rights for POM, which does not publish financial results but is believed to have sales of some 100 million dollars a year.

Even after the FTC filed its action, POM Wonderful launched a new campaign with television ads produced by French-Canadian director Francois Girard showing the sex appeal of pomegranates.

In one ad, a nearly naked actress Sonja Kinski is lounging on a bed of greenery with a snake slithering up her body. The voiceover reads: "Some scholars believe it wasn't an apple, but a ruby red, antioxidant-rich pomegranate with which Eve tempted Adam."

Another with Swedish actress Helena Mattsson links pomegranates to the legend of Aphrodite, saying the Greek goddess of love and desire declared the fruit "an aphrodisiac."

The company says it makes no claim that its juice or supplements are drugs, but just nutritious food.

"Because POM products may in fact offer the promise of better health, we believe it is important to share the research results as they become available," the company said in a statement, refusing to directly answer questions on the court case.

"This is especially true since our products do not carry the risks associated with pharmaceutical drugs. It's a shame that the government is unable to understand this fundamental distinction, and instead is wasting taxpayer resources to persecute the pomegranate."

Ivan Preston, a University of Wisconsin professor emeritus of communication and specialist in truth in advertising, said POM Wonderful appears to have overstepped the accepted bounds of advertising on the product.

"If they say in their ads, 'backed by science,' they are making a medical claim," he said.

Preston says that in order to promote medical benefits for pomegranate juice, the makers would have to go through a rigorous testing process for clearance by the Food and Drug Administration.

Although POM Wonderful said dozens of studies support its claims, the FTC said the benefits are not supported by accepted scientific standards -- using double-blind groups including one with a placebo.

According to the FTC complaint, POM executives "knew that a large, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, funded by POM Wonderful... showed no significant difference after 18 months between consumption of pomegranate juice and a control beverage in reducing carotid arterial wall thickness."

For prostate cancer, "the evidence relied on by respondents consisted of results from an unblinded, uncontrolled study" and the scientists said it was "controversial" whether the benefits were delivered. The FTC said other health claims also were unsubstantiated.

"The aim of POM's first ever TV advertising campaign is to educate consumers in a provocative and sensual way about the intriguing history of the pomegranate," says POM company president Matt Tupper.

"POM is proud to have explored the mythic properties of pomegranates using modern science."

But Marion Nestle, a New York University nutritionist and author, said the POM case shows "how easy it is to design studies to give you the answer you want."

"POM research demonstrates that pomegranate juice has antioxidant activity and acts as an antioxidant in the body. Of course it does," Nestle writes on her blog.

"But so does every other fruit and vegetable and what this research does not do is compare the effects of pomegranate juice to those of orange juice, for example." ( AFP )

READ MORE - Sex, lies and pomegranate juice focus of US legal battle

A generation of cotton-wool kids: Parents' safety fears keeping children indoors

A generation of cotton-wool kids: Parents' safety fears keeping children indoors. Children have far less freedom than their parents did when they were younger, a survey has found.

Growing concerns over safety mean most now wait almost two years longer than their parents did before experiencing life unsupervised.

A quarter of children aged 15 and under are not allowed to sleep over at a friend’s house, compared with just 4 per cent of their parents’ generation, the study says.

Treading carefully: Parents' growing concerns over safety mean they give their own children far less freedom than they had themselves when they were the same age, a survey has found

Six in ten are forbidden from using public transport without a parent present and 43 per cent are not allowed to visit their closest park alone.

Sixty-five per cent of the 6,100 adults interviewed – 1,464 of whom were parents of children under the age of 18 – viewed the world as a more dangerous place these days.

Just over half (54 per cent) said ‘stranger danger’ was their greatest worry, followed by bullying (74 per cent), mugging (47 per cent) and road danger (34 per cent).

As a result, a generation of children is now staying indoors for longer periods of time and is restricted to going out only with a parent present.

On average, children today can look forward to walking to school on their own by the age of 11, use public transport on their own at 12, and babysit their brother or sister by the time they are 14.

In contrast, parents say they were allowed to walk to school unaccompanied at the age of nine, use public transport alone by the time they were 11, and babysit a sibling by 12.

Of those adults who took part in the online survey, only 4 per cent said they were banned from sleep- overs at friends’ homes when they were 15 or younger.

Only 2 per cent were forbidden from using public transport and the same number forbidden from going alone to the local park or into the town where they lived.

A third of the adults who completed the survey said they were uneasy about limiting their children’s liberties but felt anxious about the dangers beyond the home.

Yet, according to hospital statistics, nearly a million children are treated every year after accidents in the home that could have been prevented.

The research was carried out on behalf of LV= Streetwise, a charity that educates children about safety.

• Childhood is being suffocated by a ‘just in case’ mentality that has saddled schools with a barrage of health and safety regulations, a leading headmaster will say today.
  

The Government has ‘lost touch with reality’, imposing 139 regulations on independent schools but with only 24 relating to education, according to Richard Cairns, head of Brighton College.

The rest cover health and safety, registering appointments, complaints procedures and checks on teachers, support staff and governors.

It might be only a matter of time before mattresses had to be laid out under trees in school grounds ‘just in case’ children fall, he is due to tell a conference organised by the Independent Schools Council.

He adds: ‘Every pound we spend on compliance is a pound we don’t spend on teaching and learning.’( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - A generation of cotton-wool kids: Parents' safety fears keeping children indoors

How To Have Happiness and Abundance in Marriage

How To Have Happiness and Abundance in Marriage. Many couples don’t realize how they are slowly pulling themselves away from each other mentally, emotionally, and physically because of the separate lives they lead. The husband is doing his own thing, and not thinking about his wife’s feelings, and the wife is doing her own thing, not thinking about her husband’s feelings. This kind of marriage has its priorities confused.


Priorities in many marriages are backwards. What should be priority number one is on the bottom of the list and what’s on the top of the list should be on the bottom. This is exactly why infidelities and other marriage issues happen. Couples don’t realize where they are taking their marriage when priorities are not aligned properly. In a typical marriage husband puts himself above God. He doesn’t mean to do this, but he does not have a firm grasp or understanding of how to direct his marriage.


If a husband thinks he is at the top of the priority list then who is he accountable to? Himself? Who is he responsible to? If a man lives his life as a “one man show”, without responsibility to his wife, family, or marriage, there will be problems! This man will never be fulfilled and happy in life because he has no purpose. He does not understand the importance of marriage. He does not understand that he could be the king in his own home by making his wife his queen.


The wife’s priorities are backwards too. She is not putting God first in her life, and therefore she lives her own life under her own understanding. Who is she accountable to? Who is she responsible to? If a wife lives her life as a “one woman show”, without responsibilities to husband, and family she will never be happy in her relationships or fulfilled as a woman, no matter who she is married to.


How can I say these things with such conviction? At one time in my life I did not put God first in my life and everything around me deteriorated. You see, God has a plan for you. His plan is for you to succeed in everything that you do. Yes, in everything that you do! But there is a stipulation – you must put God first in your life then He will give you happiness and abundance.


The fact is God created marriage to be a partnership between a man and a woman – they are team players working together for the benefit of the marriage and family. Is this how your marriage is? Who are you accountable to? Some couples don’t think they are accountable to anyone, not even their spouse. Is that why some spouses have affairs?


In the marriage that God designed, a husband is to be accountable to God first and then to his wife. That means a husband has responsibilities to his wife to take care of her, and to love her, even when he doesn’t feel like it. This is the most important purpose you will ever have in life. God wants you to take care of your responsibilities wisely, and then there will be blessings.


Wife, you are accountable to God and to your husband also. You have a responsibility to support and to respect you husband. This is what God created you for. God created the union of marriage to work best when both husband and wife KNOW what their duties and responsibilities are to each other.


Marriage is not about going your separate ways like marriages do today. Wife has her career and friends and husband has his career and friends. Wife has her endeavors that she embarks on and husband has his. Is this a marriage of one flesh or is this two people living separate lives?


Marriage is about building each other up in the Lord and creating abundance and happiness for yourselves and family. It is about happiness, love, and abundance. Do you have that in your marriage? Why or why not? What can you do to bring abundance into your marriage?


Society has taken marriage and turned it upside down. The intention of “loving each other for life” is a nice thought, but if couples aren’t really committed to working together and helping each other be all that they can be, then they are probably going to have an unhappy marriage. It’s all about priorities, priorities, priorities. If a husband is putting himself above his wife then that is being selfish. If a wife is putting herself above her husband then that is being selfish.


What does all this mean? Well, next time you feel like doing something outside the bounds of your marriage, as a separate individual from the marriage, remember you are married and have responsibilities in your marriage. Check your priority list and see if your behavior is the proper thing to do. Will your actions be beneficial to the marriage or harmful to the marriage? We should be accountable and responsible to God first and then to our marriage. ( heavenministries.com )

READ MORE - How To Have Happiness and Abundance in Marriage

The emu and ostrich can't fly because their ancestors became fat and lazy when the dinosaurs died

Revealed: The emu and ostrich can't fly because their ancestors became fat and lazy when the dinosaurs died. Birds like the emu and ostrich gave up on flight because they became fat and lazy when the dinosaurs died, according to new research.

An abundance of food and a lack of predators following the extinction of dinosaurs saw a number of birds fatten up and simply stop bothering to take to the air.

Many scientists had believed that the ancestors of modern flightless birds - such as emus and ostriches - were also flightless.

But a new study suggests they could fly and gradually stopped making the effort.

Flightless: An abundance of food and a lack of predators following the extinction of dinosaurs saw some birds, including emus, fatten up and stop bothering to fly

The research was carried out by scientists from the Australian National University who studied the genetics of the now-extinct giant moa birds of New Zealand.

To their surprise, the researchers found that rather than having a flightless predecessor, their closest relatives are the small flying tinamous of South America.

The study, led by Dr Matthew Phillips, suggests ancestors of the African ostrich, Australian emu, South American rheas and New Zealand moa became flightless around 65million years ago. This coincides with the extinction of dinosaurs.

Dr Phillips' study, at the ANU's Research School of Biology, included DNA sequencing of 22 bird species including flightless and flighted birds.

He said: 'Many of the world's largest flightless birds - known as ratites - were thought to have shared a common flightless ancestor.

'We followed up on recent uncertainty surrounding this assumption.

'Our study suggests the flighted ancestors of various ratites appear to have been ground-feeding birds that ran well.

'So the extinction of the dinosaurs in all likelihood lifted pressures from predators which had previously meant they were destined to be smaller and could fly.

'In the absence of predators and with abundant food resources on the ground, there is a tendency for birds to evolve larger size and become flightless. We see this a lot on islands - dodos for example.

'Larger, ground-feeding birds can be more efficient at turning food into growth and reproduction, but size increase makes flight less efficient.'

The finding of independent origins of flightlessness also solves a mystery of how these flightless birds dispersed across the world over marine barriers - their ancestors flew.

The research is published in this month's issue of the journal Systematic Biology. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - The emu and ostrich can't fly because their ancestors became fat and lazy when the dinosaurs died

Birth dates with a warning

Birth dates with a warning. Environmental conditions, infections, light exposure and even the availability of certain nutrients can all affect a baby's development. Here, we shows how much influence the seasons can have on babies . . .

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the most common cause of the death of babies under a year old.

Several factors have been implicated, although the exact mechanism behind cot death has not yet been established.

Professor Peter Helms, of Aberdeen University's Medical School, is an expert on the effects of seasonality. He says: 'Babies born between February and May are at significantly lower risk of SIDS than babies born between August and November.'

More cot deaths occur during the winter months and the most susceptible age is between two and four months, putting September babies at greatest overall risk.

During the summer, only a third of the number of winter deaths take place, making April the least risky birth month.

Professor Helms adds: 'Even though there are statistical differences between the times of greatest and least risk, the overall numbers are very small, so no one should be unduly worried if their baby is due in September.'

Ann Deri-Bowen, of the Cot Death Association, says: 'The seasonal differences have reduced since our campaign started. But most important of all is to follow our advice - place babies on their backs, don't let them overheat, don't use duvets and don't smoke either during or after pregnancy.'

SCHIZOPHRENIA

Numerous studies have shown that schizophrenics tend to be born in late winter and early spring.

Robin Murray, Professor of Psychological Medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, says: 'There is a real seasonal influence. Between January and April numbers peak at 10 pc above average, but then rates decline to 10 pc below average between August and October. 'In the second half of pregnancy, the connections between neural cells in the brain cortex are made. If the mother gets a feverish illness during the latter half of pregnancy, it may disturb these growing neural connections.

'Most doctors think that schizophrenia arises when these neural networks are slightly faulty, and that later in life, when you are under stress, it triggers the illness.

'There is much evidence supporting the idea that winter illnesses such as viral infections, influenza and fevers during the second half of pregnancy can increase the chances of a baby developing schizophrenia. We also know that malnourished mothers are at greater risk of having a baby who develops schizophrenia.

'In the UK, one in every 100 people gets schizophrenia. Your risk doubles to two in every 100 if you are in your mother's womb in winter and she contracts a feverish illness. It's enough to interest statisticians but shouldn't worry the general population.'

Seasonal variations have also been noted in autism, peaking in March, and major depression, which peaks between March and May.

The decrease in natural daylight in winter may play a part. Fluctuations of the hormone melatonin - known as the hormone of darkness, because it is triggered by the shortening days of winter - are thought to be involved. BRONCHIOLITIS is a serious infection of the small airways deep inside the lung, which can trigger asthma. Affecting babies under 18 months, it can be brought on by different viruses, many of which normally cause nothing more serious than a cold.

Paediatrician Dr Harvey Mar-covitch says: 'Bronchiolitis has an annual epidemic between November and March. It starts off like a cough or cold, but rapidly progresses deep into the small tubes of the lung, resulting in severe breathing difficulties, and some babies die from it. The younger you are, the worse it tends to be.

'If you're born in March or April, you're already eight months old by the time the yearly epidemic starts, and therefore stronger than babies born in August and September, who would be only two to three months old.

'If parents have asthma or eczema, and therefore have a high risk of having an asthmatic child, they may want to know that by having their child in early spring they will at least be giving it the best chance of avoiding bronchiolitis and perhaps avoid triggering asthma.'

SPINA BIFIDA

Spina Bifida is a congenital condition caused when the spinal column and surrounding tissues fail to form properly. It tends to run in families, although a lack of folic acid during the crucial first month of pregnancy, when the spinal structures are being formed, has been implicated.

Researchers have found evidence of seasonal variance in spina bifida, with more cases occurring with babies born in January and fewer among those born in July.

Professor Helm says: 'One reason may be that women who conceive in the early spring are lacking in folic acid, due to the fact that fresh fruit and vegetables have been in shorter supply during winter and early spring.'

If this theory is valid, the seasonality of spina bifida should fade as more women of childbearing age take countermeasures to prevent it by using folic acid supplements all year round.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

A child born in late summer will be among the youngest in the class, and at a disadvantage compared with those born almost a year before.

Gaynor Sbuttoni, an educational psychologist, says: 'Academically, it is probably better to be born in early autumn. Socially and emotionally, the difference between the youngest and the eldest in a class can be huge and it can be hard for the younger ones to cope.

However, at puberty the eldest might get teased for being developed, but the youngest may be taunted for being underdeveloped. In this situation, children born between January and March fare best.'

Even IQ isn't immune to seasonal effects - studies in the Sixties revealed that there was a higher incidence of retardation (where the IQ fell below 70) among winter babies. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Birth dates with a warning

Top ten sex romps

Top ten sex romps. Are you always complaining that your sex life is running out of steam? Well, what’s stopping you from getting adventurous and innovative? Charge up your sex life using this list of the 10 craziest places to fool around...or you could get inspired and think of a few of your own!

1. On the couch: After the bed, the couch in the living room is screaming for attention. And the best part...it’s comfy too. The cushions work as a support system to get those curves and arches to enjoy the perfect moves, while the lack of space will keep up the intimacy levels. Want some more action? Put on a wild flick on video and you have a perfect mood maker!

Word of caution: Watch out your moves, going out of control is injurious...for the couch of course!

2. In the bathtub: Things can get real hot even in a cool bath tub. For the ultimate romantic experience, arrange for a bubble bath with aromatic rose petals and passion perfume. Add some mood lighting, splash a few drops of ‘ylang ylang’ essential oil and be certain that the sensuous experiment will lead to some supah hot sex.

Word of caution: Check out the water temperature, you don’t want to end up with painful blisters or a frozen lover...isn’t?

3. In the kitchen: Be it 91/2 Weeks or Fatal Attraction , the kitchen has borne witness to quite a number of sexapades. The sturdy surfaces and shelves offer great support, especially for stand-up acts, while the feeling of being at an unconventional place pumps up the excitement to newer heights. And how can you miss the yummy treats your kitchen is loaded with? Eat them, but off each other’s hot bods. Think chocolate, cream, jams and jellies!

Word of caution: Know the stuff you are eating and applying...some edibles are good only to eat. So watch out for allergies!

4. In the pool: Though not many are privileged to have one in the confines of their home, if you are one of the lucky few, make the most of it. Challenge your swimming skills and get under for into some underwater escapades. Who said that the inflatable water turtle is meant only for tanning, use it for some steamy adventure...ride it together and get a new high!

Word of caution: You need not be swimming champs, but fairly decent floating skills are definitely expected to get into the water-y fun.

5. In the car: Yes it’s crammed, but it’s cosy too. A quickie in the backseat can rekindle the excitement that you felt during your heady college days. Put on some romantic retro tracks and switch on the AC. Don’t fret, it won’t cool down the passion. When the place is different, the position can’t be a drab. It’s tough to adjust facing each other, but turning the world around can definitely help...hope you got the clue!

Word of caution: Just be careful where you park...you don’t want to get busted!

6. In the dressing room: How about catching her unawares in the dressing room of a store? Sounds dangerous but thrilling too! The fear of getting caught will only add to the sensual experience, while the lack of time is perfect to give you a never before quickie. Thinking comfort? Sorry! All you have is a stool...let him stand as you take charge!

Word of caution: Making noise is not allowed here and do take care of hidden cameras and key-holes.

7. The stairs: If you are thinking they can be a pain to one’s body, think again, as they can be adventurous too. After all, they can give you those highs and lows, especially when the girl is comparatively short.

Word of caution: Don’t get really aggressive if getting cramps in your lower back is not on your mind.

8. On the roof : Yes, this can be a great playground; the gentle moonlight, a cool breeze to caress your passionate entwinings. Pep it up with some paper lamps or scented candles and light music, which will just add to the mood. You have all the space to set the ball rolling...so go ahead and explore her contours under a starry sky.

Word of caution: No physical risks are involved...but just take care of peeping Toms around.

9. In a sleeping bag: Nothing could bring you as close as that sleeping bag that’s meant for a single person and is loaded with two! Why not get into some naughty action and add to a fun-filled camping trip? Instead of the normal position, turn around and have some fun from behind. Talk about kinky fantasies!

Word of caution: Zip the bag properly, you don’t want end up killing insects in the mid of the act.

10. On a plane: You can try the toilet and if that’s too cramped, the seat in a Business or First class cabin. Some airliners with long-haul flights now boast of recliner seats that go as flat as a bed. Take a flight of fantasy.

Word of caution: Don’t try it if you already have flight phobia and take care of people lining-up outside the loo. ( indiatimes.com )

READ MORE - Top ten sex romps

Job Search Reality Check

Job Search Reality Check. A strong hiring environment may cause you to think that your job search will be a piece of cake. But the truth is that finding the right job can be hit or miss. It's important to have realistic expectations to keep your spirits high and limit frustration. So that you enter the process with your eyes open, here are some job-search perceptions you may have and the reality behind them:

Expectation: My job search will take no time at all.
Reality: There's no guarantee how long it will take to find a new position.

Finding the right opportunity is not always easy. The open positions you come across may not seem challenging enough, or certain details about a job, such as the salary or commute, may not be appealing. Along with searching classified ads and online job boards, you'll increase your chances of finding a job quickly by tapping your network of friends, former co-workers and industry contacts for leads.

In addition, hiring managers may take several weeks to respond to your application. After all, they have full-time jobs with demands of their own, and hundreds, if not thousands, of résumés to review. That said, don't be afraid to follow up with a prospective employer to help move the process along. Eighty-two percent of executives polled by Robert Half International said it's a good idea to do so within two weeks of submitting a résumé.

Expectation: I need to send out only a few résumés.
Reality: Finding a job is a numbers game.

As mentioned above, a hiring manager may receive countless résumés for an open position. That's why it pays to spread a wide net. And while you want to keep in mind your goals, it may be unwise to hold out for the "perfect" job, which you might not find -- or which might not even exist.

Also keep in mind that some of the résumés you distribute may not reach their destinations. If you e-mail your résumé, it could end up in the hiring manager's spam folder, depending on the words it contains. For instance, if you "won an award" for being a team player, your message could be seen by an e-mail filter as a sweepstakes or moneymaking promotion. "Received formal recognition" would work better.

Networking with members of your professional network is one way to save yourself some time and effort. Hiring managers give preference to personal recommendations and may move your résumé to the top of the pile if someone you know puts in a good word for you.

Expectation: My résumé and cover letter are terrific!
Reality: You could probably improve your application materials.

Take a close look at your résumé and cover letter. Do they sell your skills and qualifications? Make sure that, instead of simply listing your previous duties, you detail your accomplishments and contributions in previous roles. So rather than saying, "Wrote one high-tech column for company intranet each week," try, "Wrote weekly high-tech column for company intranet that increased readership by more than 200 percent and helped employees better utilize company systems." This will show a prospective employer exactly how your work improved the bottom line and why he should hire you.

Also make sure your materials are targeted. Research the company before responding to an ad to determine how your qualifications can meet its business needs. In addition, read through the job description and include specific terms from it in your résumé and cover letter. Doing so will demonstrate to a hiring manager that your skills are a good fit for the position as well as increase the likelihood that your documents will be flagged as promising by résumé-scanning software.

Expectation: My skills are top notch -- any company would want to hire me.
Reality: You may not be as marketable as you think.

A common mistake job seekers make is overestimating their marketability. Although you may think your skill set is solid, take an honest look at your qualifications to determine how in demand you really are. Keep in mind that your marketability depends on many things, including factors that may be out of your hands. For instance, you may live in a part of the country where many other individuals with similar experience are also looking for employment.

Of course, there are some factors you can control. For example, many firms seek employees with well-developed soft skills, such as communication and leadership abilities. Enrolling in a class or seminar can help you build these competencies. Industry publications, members of your professional network and recruiters can help you determine your weaknesses and identify ways of strengthening those areas to improve your marketability.

Finding a new position is difficult, and it's easy to fall prey to your frustrations. But by maintaining a realistic outlook, you'll be better able to overcome any hurdles and land a job quickly. ( msn.com )

READ MORE - Job Search Reality Check

Networking Made Easy

Networking Made Easy. When Sara Matthews started her own consulting business last year, her biggest hurdle was overcoming her discomfort at asking friends and colleagues for business leads.

"I didn't want my friends and former colleagues to feel put on the spot," says Matthews, a freelance writer. "While I needed their help, I wanted to do it without putting them in an awkward position."

But successful networking doesn't mean milking your contacts for all they're worth, says Katharine Hansen, career consultant and author of "A Foot in the Door."

"Networking is most effective when both the networker and their contact can benefit from the relationship." A

simple way to get over the fear of networking is to ask for something people love to give: advice.

"Asking for advice is a great way to open the conversation -- people love to feel important," Hansen says. Advice can range from professional: "Do you know a good extrusion molding company I could contact?" to personal: "I was looking at getting a new hybrid... how do you like your car?"

Matthews used that technique to build awareness of her company and subtly put out feelers for new clients.

"When our Web site was completed, I sent the almost-finished link to a few key contacts. I asked them for feedback and constructive criticism about the design, but what I really wanted was for them to know that I was open for business."

Hansen says that professional groups and volunteering can be two great ways to network in a comfort zone.

"Look for the person standing alone -- chances are they would love to be approached. Making eye contact with people throughout the room and smiling will encourage them to gravitate to you."

When Patrick Simpson was laid off from his job in telecommunications a few years ago, he found the quickest route to success was networking with recruiters -- even when he wasn't right for the job.

"It's a tough job trying to stay on someone's radar screen, especially when you're dealing with busy recruiters," he says. "When a job wasn't quite right for me, I made their job easier by giving them a few leads for the right person. That helped me get the first call when a new position became available."

These connections can often open other networking doors.

"Whenever I recommend a friend for an open position. I make sure to drop them a line and let them know," Simpson says. That helps me reconnect with people and know what their responsibilities and job positions are."

By offering something of value to a potential contact, or by following up with some information they can use, you open the door to a two-way line of communication.

Here are five things that you can do:

• Send contacts a newspaper/magazine article relating to their business or industry.


• Offer them contact information for someone they might be able to work with.


• Ask for their help with a project such as coordinating a speaker, arranging the next meeting location, or holding an office for an organization you're involved with. Even if they don't accept, they think you respect their skills.


• Give a general recommendation that shows you remembered your conversation. "You mentioned your husband enjoys photography. There's an exhibit this weekend... "


• When all else fails, follow up with a general "great to meet you" e-mail, listing your phone and e-mail information and opening the door to future contact.

( msn.com )

READ MORE - Networking Made Easy

Six Jobs for Associate Degrees

Six Jobs for Associate Degrees. When most of us think of post-secondary education, our first thoughts are about four-year degree programs where we can earn a bachelor's degree. We may even be thinking about a master's degree, which involves an even greater time investment.

Many people overlook associate degree programs -- which generally involve two years of classes -- when they consider their options. But there are a surprising number of options for graduates with associate degrees.

Success stories

Saideh Browne has explored these options. "I have an associate degree from Hudson County Community College, and I am now a published author and own a speakers bureau," she says.

The New York City-based Browne says her degree serves her well. "I've been self-employed for most of my life, and my business law, corporate finance and accounting courses really helped me. But practical, hands-on experience and trial by fire has taught me the most," Browne asserts.

Ginger Vaughn is also happy with where her career path has led her. "I graduated with an associate degree. While in school I did an internship with the local daily paper," recalls Vaughn, who lives in Bainbridge Island, Wash.

Vaughn happened upon her current employer when she was seeking a job at a theater as the house manager. When Vaughn mentioned her experience and her degree, she was hired by the firm shortly afterwards. "This year, I celebrated my 10-year anniversary," she says.

Another option

Marc Scheer is the author of "No Sucker Left Behind: Avoiding the Great College Rip-Off." He believes that pursuing an associate degree can be a very wise choice.

"Associate degrees tend to be great investments because they cost less than four-year programs," Scheer notes. "Graduates can transfer to four-year programs afterwards if necessary."

Most importantly, with four-year programs at major universities carrying a six-figure price tag, Scheer believes associate degrees are a valuable test run.

"Since many college students drop out before graduating, these degrees allow them to try out college at a low cost. If they then drop out, they'll have incurred much lower debt."

Hot jobs for associate degree graduates

If you're interested in a particular job, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an occupational guide that outlines occupations with an associate degree requirement.

Here's a sample of six of the most in-demand jobs from the bureau's listing, along with the average salaries for these positions according to CBSalary.com. (Please note that the salaries cited are general in nature and are based on averages; specific salaries may vary depending on a number of factors, including location and experience.)

1. Occupational therapist assistant and physical therapist assistant

These assistants will work closely with the main therapist who provides care for the client. These are good examples of jobs where graduates can test their aptitude and enthusiasm for the job before continuing to a four-year degree.

Salary: Occupational therapy assistants earn an average of $37,769, while physical therapy assistants earn an average of $36,866.

2. Dental assistants and hygienists

There's always a consistent demand for assistants and hygienists. These workers are increasingly responsible (depending on where you live) for patient procedures where a licensed dentist is not required.

Salary: Office assistants can make an average of $31,023, while a dental hygienist can make a median salary of $54,413.

3. Desktop publisher

This job combines writing, formatting and graphic design. Many schools offer associate degrees in graphics arts and design that translates into transferrable skills for this job.

Salary: An graduate working in this position could expect a median salary of around $34,459.

4. Teaching assistants

These assistants offer classroom support for licensed, certified teachers.

Salary: A teaching assistant who has completed a two-year program and is working in primary or secondary education can anticipate a salary around $24,270.

5. Paralegal and paralegal assistants

Paralegals support a staff of lawyers or a legal department at a major corporation. A member of a paralegal staff researches laws and regulations, and coordinates and organizes files.

Salary: A paralegal can earn an average salary of $44,934, while a paralegal assistant's media salary is $43,841.

6. Computer support specialist

Computer support specialists help computer users troubleshoot any technical issues they might have with their computer system. Since most organizations, in all industries, use computers these days, support specialists can work almost anywhere.

Salary: A computer support specialist can earn an average salary of $45,719 per year.

( msn.com )

READ MORE - Six Jobs for Associate Degrees