Here’s the official media release:

Florida Atlantic University’s College of Education will launch its 2012 Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series with a presentation by Eustache Jean-Louis, M.D., M.P.H., project director for the City of Boston Public Health Commission and executive director of the Center for Community Health, Education & Research, Inc. “Health and Education Issues in Haiti and the Local Haitian Community: Research and Service Opportunities” will take place on Thursday, February 23 at 6 p.m. in the Live Oak Pavilion, FAU Student Union, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus.  A reception will precede the lecture from 5 to 5:45 p.m., and a panel discussion will follow at 7 p.m.

Jean-Louis will discuss the fact that newcomers to the U.S. often face insurmountable barriers in the areas of language, literacy, cultural adaptation, immigration status, discrimination and socioeconomic survival. For most Haitian immigrants, health and education are secondary to the basic survival needs of food and shelter. In terms of increasing their individual assets for a better community, resources need to be marshaled toward a collaborative effort to assist them in making the necessary transition.

“The Haitian American community is a growing minority population in Florida, and Haitian immigrants and their families are quickly becoming an integral part of the larger Floridian community,” said Michael Hall, Ph.D., C.H.E.S, visiting assistant professor in the department of exercise science and health promotion within FAU’s College of Education and chair of the Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series committee. “We look forward to learning about Dr. Jean-Louis’ innovative approach and how the FAU community and its collaborating partners may be able to connect resources to Haitian Americans in Florida.”

In his role with the Center for Community Health, Education & Research, a nonprofit organization that provides health, social and prevention services to the uninsured and underserved, Jean-Louis conducts research and develops and manages health intervention programs targeting the Boston Haitian community.

Like many of you, when I saw the news about the passing of Whitney Houston I could not believe it.  Her death caught all of us by surprise. Whether you are White, Black, male or female, young or old Whitney’s music inspired us all.

As they say, music is a universal language.  At the age of 10, I remember being in Haiti singing and jamming to “I want to dance with somebody” “How Will I Know” “So Emotional” without understanding a word.  Even though time has changed, however, moments like these remind us all that we need to cherish our loved ones.  Those who brought us joy, peace and hope.

As we are mourning, my heart goes out to her loved ones and family.  The world lost a mother, sister, cousin, daughter, friend and most importantly a wonderful human being.  The words of her songs pierce our souls; her voice gives us chills and perhaps brings tears to our eyes.  Her accomplishment includes 415 Awards, 2 Emmys, 6 Grammys, 22 American Music Awards, and 30 Billboard Awards & sold 170,000,000 Albums.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she became a rare black actor with box office appeal, starring in hits such as “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.” Bishop T.D.  Jakes, produced Houston’s final film project, a re-make of the 1970s release “Sparkle,” said he noticed no signs of substance abuse from Whitney.  He said Houston was a complete professional and moved the cast and crew to tears two months ago when she sang the gospel hymn “Her Eyes on the Sparrow” for a scene in Detroit. “There was no evidence in working with her on ‘Sparkle’ that there was any struggle in her life,” Jakes said Sunday. “She just left a deep impression on everybody.”

Sometimes we make some wrong choices and decisions in life, which is what makes us human.  In John 8, vs.7 “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  In Luke 6, vs.37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you.  Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

Whitney is an iconic figure for those of us who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s.  I wish I had the privilege to meet her in person, but through her music, I was connected to her like a true fan, friend and brother. Thank God for her life, her purpose on this earth, her love for her family.  Her job is done she is now in a new place singing with the angels.

I would like to leave you with the following words from my favorite song of her “One Moment in Time” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m46nvic8VIA

“Each day I live I want to be a day to be, a day to give the best of me.  I am only one, but not alone. My finest day is yet unknown.  I broke my heart, fought every gain.  To taste the sweet I face the pain, I rise and fall. Yet through, it all this much remains.  I live to be the very best I want it all, no time for less.  Have laid the plans; now lay the chance here in my hands”

There will forever be one Whitney Houston and her memory will forever live in all of us.  We will always love you for the beautiful person you were inside and outside.  Thank you for the great memories.  Rest in Heavenly Peace!

A credit score is a number that is assigned to you and this number represents your creditworthiness. Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) created this measure of credit worthiness, and that is why it is called a FICO Score. The number is assigned to you based on your credit report information that is available with three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

How Is A Credit Score Used?

When you apply for any credit (loan, credit card, mortgage, etc.), the lender typically approaches any one of the three major credit bureaus and pulls out your credit information and score. He checks the score to determine if you are worthy of a loan, what interest rate should be charged and what credit limits can be given to you. Many third parties check your credit score and these could include mobile phone companies, insurance companies, property owners, government, etc.      

How Can You Get A Credit Score?

To get a FICO score, you must have a financial account running and active for at least 6 months. The three major credit bureaus will latch on to this account and use it for calculating your credit score.

What Is A Good Credit Score?

FICO scores range between 300-850. 300 stands for a poor credit score while 850 means you are close to Warren Buffett. The average American credit score lies between 600 and 700. Anything over 700 is viewed positively and anything under 600 makes you a risky asset.

What Factors Determine Your Credit Score?

Your payment history gets the highest consideration – it makes up 35% of your FICO score. A good, on-time payment history can really boost up the score. Next come your total loan balances, which make up 30% of the FICO score. If you owe more, your score goes down. Your credit history length accounts for 15%. If you have been responsible with your credit for many years, your score bumps up.

New credit is given 10% consideration, and if you keep applying for credit your score will go down. The final 10% is reserved for miscellaneous factors like, are you focused on one particular type of credit, or have you taken loans from all possible sources, etc.

How Can You Fix Your Credit Score?

Your credit score matters a lot. You may be refused loans or given very costly loans if your credit score is below average. Here is how you can fix your credit score:

1. Get a copy of your credit report from all the three major credit bureaus and check for errors or omissions. If you find any, file a dispute with the credit bureau. You must obtain a report from all three bureaus because there is no telling which bureau your prospective lender will approach.

2. Always make payments on time. Late payments influence your credit score and therefore, you must set up appropriate reminders (SMS, calendar) to remind you about your payments. You can also opt for automatic debit so that you are never late.

3. Do your best to reduce your loan. Sell some assets, if possible, and repay your loan. Use your credit card only for necessities. Focus on eliminating higher-interest loans first and then tackle the rest.

By: Ethan Henry, www.techchai.com

Getting the Most Out of Your Google Search Efforts

Having the right Google search tips at your disposal will always help you get the results that you want more accurately and frequently. Of course, with any online search, there will generally be plenty of websites that don’t provide what you need.

However, when you don’t know how to search in Google, then you will tend to spend a lot more time fumbling around in the dark, so to speak. With some of the Google search tips that are provided here, you will cut down on your search time significantly, leaving you more time to work on what is important.

1. Know Your Target

One of the most important Google search tips is to know exactly what you are looking for. While you may have a basic idea, you need to be as specific as possible before you type anything into that Google search bar.  If you want information on the best types of dog food, then merely entering ‘dog food’ into the search box will return millions of results and a lot of them will likely be nothing more than sites that sell dog food.

However, if what you are interested in is healthy or gluten free dog food, and that you are not looking for providers but more information about it, then you might want to focus on a search such as: benefits of gluten free dog food. With this kind of search, you will gain a host of information. Knowing your target topic and refining it within your mind will go a long way toward getting the right results.

2. Use Exclusion Words

When you are learning how to search in Google, it’s easy to think about the keywords you enter as all being inclusive.  As a matter of fact, there are two different types of keywords or phrases: inclusive and exclusive. Your inclusive keywords or phrases are those that highlight the main topic. From the previous example, the inclusive keywords would be ‘dog food.’  Then, when you want your search narrowed down, ‘gluten’ would be considered the exclusive word. Why use exclusion words?

With more than two billion web pages operating today, and Google having crawled nearly all of them, there is bound to be way too many potential matches for basic inclusive searches.  By using the exclusion word or phrases, it helps to narrow down the window of your search, offering more pertinent results. The more exclusion phrases that you use, the more precise your results will become.

3. When Looking for General Information

Most of the Internet is loaded with informative pages. Article marketing is a major focus for online businesses that drive customers to their websites.  As a result, when you are seeking information about certain topics, using the word ‘article’ or ‘information,’ you are narrowing your search to the most popular informative article submission sites, which tend to provide a wealth of valuable information on a variety of topics.  For example, ‘gluten free dog food article’ will produce a number of informative pieces about the topic, from benefits to risks, why your dog might benefit from it, and more.

4. Using the Synonym Search Operator

If you want to search for synonyms of your search term than place a tlide sign such as  (~)  in the front of your search key phrase or term. For example, “Dog ~foods” will find everything related to dog foods including guides, help information.

5. Using the +, – & “ Operators

When you use the + operator, you state that you want to add to the search term. For example Dog+Foods will find everything related to dogs and foods.  In adverse, when you use the – operator, you state that you do not want to include a certain search phrase. Example, Dog -Foods would find everything related to Dogs but not Food.

The parentheses “” operator will force Google to find everything which contains the words in between the parentheses. For instance, “Dog Foods” will find everything with the words “Dog Foods” in it. It could be articles, blogs, sites or news.

6. Using the OR Operator

Another of the valuable Google search tips would be to use the operator ‘OR’.  When searching for a topic such as Internet Marketing, or Advertising, but they don’t need to be directly connected, type in ‘Internet Marketing OR Advertising. Make sure that the operator is capitalized.

The returns that you will find will include both internet marketing topics as well as advertising. When you know how to search in Google, and you know the best approaches, you will spend less time visiting the wrong websites and more time getting things accomplished.

Conclusion

There are so many opportunities to find just about anything on the Internet that knowing where to start can often be the biggest challenge. While Google is still the leading search engine in the world, if you don’t understand the best Google search tips, then you could be spinning your wheels.

With these tips, you’ll maximize your efficiency with Internet searches and if you’re a heavy internet user make sure you use a reliable internet connection such as AT&T Uverse. You can get coupon codes for uverse internet to save. Happy Googling.

Conflict is not in and of itself a bad thing. In fact, conflicts in relationships can be constructive when used as a vehicle for improving communication. The following four steps can help you use conflict as a tool for gaining clarity, creating deeper understanding and strengthening relationships. 

When you are in the midst of conflict, take the LEAD to manage it respectfully and calmly.

Listen to what is being said. Many times, conflict arises from a simple lack of understanding or miscommunication. Avoid making assumptions about what you hear. Instead, ask for clarification. For example, “I heard you say X, is that what you meant?”

Explorethe feelings that come up – Sometimes conflict escalates because something about the situation is an emotional trigger for us. If you’re feeling upset by the conversation, try to determine where the feeling is coming from. Take several deep breaths and try to remember that what is happening now is completely separate from the past. You can manage conflict more effectively if you deal only with the matter at hand. When you start introducing memories and past sleights it will be tough to get past the history of bad feelings to work toward a positive outcome.

Affirm theother person’s point of view. You don’t have to agree to understand the other point of view. Simply acknowledging and validating someone’s feelings can be a powerful tool for resolving conflict positively. At the end of the day, most people just want to be heard.

Decide on a fair course of action. Now that you have a clear idea of what the problem is and where the person is coming from, it is time to explore some solutions. Throw out some ideas that you can vet together. Choose the soundest option that you can agree on. Plan to revisit your decision within a specified period of time to see how you are doing and what changes, if any, need to be made.

Romans 8:25, James 1:2-4 and 1 Peter 4:12-13

By:  Joahne E.