Business Plan Competitions
July 23, 2007
The idea of a business plan competition first started in the 1980’s at the initiative of some MBA students from Texas and has increasingly gained popularity. Such events happen yearly and rejoice a great affluence of contestants, which highly increases their competitiveness.
Competitions
Organized by Universities
* Babcock Elevator Pitch Competition - Wake Forest University
* Enterprise Creation Competition - Ball State University
* Moot Corp. Competition - University of Texas
* Duke Start-Up Challenge - Duke University
* IBK Capital Ivey Business Plan Competition - University of Western Ontario
* OFC Venture Challenge - Clark Atlanta University
* Venture Adventure - Colorado State University
Held by business organizations
* Jungle Business Plan Challenge - Jungle Media Group
* S.E.E.D. Business Plan Competition - TechKnowledge Point Corp.
* Venture Bowl - National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Carrot Capital
You will wonder probably what exactly do these competitions consist of and where does their popularity come from?
Organizers
Although the organizers and sponsors are usually universities, there are several business organizations that host business plan competitions.
Contestants
Over-Focused ADHD
July 22, 2007
The least flexible character in all of the stories of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin has got to be Rabbit. Oh, he can get a lot of things done, and he’s the one character who will be prepared when winter comes, but he has a very hard time shifting from one activity to another. He is absolutely “task oriented” and is focused to whatever that task might be.
The person with “Over-Focused ADHD” is much the same. He has trouble shifting attention from one activity to another, and he frequently “gets stuck” in loops of negative thoughts. He can be obsessive, and very inflexible. He can also be oppositional and argumentative to parents. He may be like a “bull dog” and not give up until he gets his way, or until his worn-out parents finally say, “yes,” to his 100th request for something. His parents are often worn-out, worn-down, fed-up, and ready to break. Parenting a child like this is hard.
Someone with “Over-Focused ADHD” is like Rabbit, in that he:
- May worry a LOT, even over things that don’t really matter much
- Can be very oppositional to parents
- May like to argue
Inattentive ADHD: Just Like Winnie the Pooh
July 21, 2007
Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD. In other works we have called this “Space Cadet” style ADHD. These are people that suffer from “brain fog” as they go through their day. Although Pooh is very lovable and kind, he is also inattentive, sluggish, slow-moving, unmotivated. He is a classic daydreamer.
People with this type of ADHD are often easily distracted, and have problems staying focused on boring tasks, like homework or cleaning. Their ability to pay attention to a task that is not interesting, or is hard, is limited. They will often daydream when others are talking to him/her, They will often lose things, and cannot find anything that they have just put down somewhere. They are often late. And they are often easily bored.
This type of ADHD is caused by the prefrontal cortex of the brain actually slowing down (instead of brain activity speeding up) when placed under a work load, like reading or doing homework. This part of the brain looks normal when “at rest” but actually looks like it is starting to fall asleep when asked to “go to work.” This makes it very hard to pay attention to school work, get homework done, listen to the teacher, clean your room, and so on.
The Classic ADHD Child Reminds Me of Tigger
July 20, 2007
ADHD comes in differenty forms, or types. What has become known as “classic ADHD” is characterized by Inattention, Impulsivity, Hyperactivity, Restlessness, and Disorganization. This type of ADHD reminds us of Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh stories. Dr. Daniel Amen refers to this type of ADHD as “Classic ADHD” for good reasons. When you think about someone who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, this is the classic picture that you think of.
Those with this type of ADHD are often seen as being easily distracted away from doing important things by unimportant things around them. They have a LOT of energy, and perhaps are Hyperactive. They often can’t sit still very long, and can be very figety. They are also people who can talk a lot, and they can be loud when they talk. They are often very impulsive, do not think before they act. As children they have trouble waiting their turn in line, or waiting for their turn in games.
Tigger Type ADHD results from UNDERACTIVITY in the Prefrontal Cortex, both when at rest, and when performing concentration tasks. This type of ADHD is most often seen in males.
Treatment Strategies for “Classic ADHD”
How To Clone The Perfect Baby
July 19, 2007
How To Clone The Perfect Baby
Sheep, Cows, pigs, mice, donkeys, mules, cats and a rare wild african wildcat.
What next then? You know what’s coming next…The perfect baby.
To date all the human cloning claims have been a fraud because no DNA proof has been presented. However, the Korean’s cloning experiments have opened the door wider on human cloning. President Bush can bang his head up against the wall all he wants. He can get down on his knees and pray to God for the world to outlaw cloning. He can pass all the laws he wants to ban human cloning, but there will always be people out there who will disagree with him and there will always be a little corner in the world that will allow full blown human cloning and the creation of the perfect baby. Our motto is "Have Michroscope Will Travel!"
We here at Gen Cells Cures have found that the Korean’s new technique of squeezing out the DNA from the egg cell works much better than sucking out the DNA with a tiny needle. Their cloning process was a spectacular achievement.
The Different Types, or Styles, of ADHD
July 19, 2007
Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to the fact that there are different types, or styles, of ADHD. In the past we referred to Attention Deficit Disorder: Inattentive Type, or Impulsive/Hyperactive Type, or a Combined Type. Today the diagnostic differences are a bit less clear, but the reality doesn’t change.
Dr. Daniel Amen has written a great book on the subject, titled “Healing ADHD:The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD” where he uses his SPECT scans of patient’s brain activity to help in making his six classifications. His classifications include these “Types” …
- Classic ADD - Inattentive, distractible, disorganized. Perhaps hyperactive, restless and impulsive. Inattentive ADD - Inattentive, and disorganized.
- Over-focused ADD - Trouble shifting attention, frequently stuck in loops of negative thoughts, obsessive, excessive worry, inflexible, oppositional and argumentative.
- Temporal Lobe ADD - Inattentive and irritable, aggressive, dark thoughts, mood instability, very impulsive. May break rules, fight, be defiant, and very disobedient. Poor handwriting and trouble learning are common.
- Limbic System ADD - Inattentive, chronic low-grade depression, negative, low energy, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
- Ring of Fire ADD - Inattentive, extremely distractible, angry, irritable, overly sensitive to the environment, hyperverbal, extremely oppositional, possible cyclic moodiness.
Graduation Announcements
July 18, 2007
Graduation Announcements
by: Michael Hargrove
Often times a school will provide a graduation announcement for the actual graduation ceremony. However, if you plan to have a large family gathering for this monumental event, an additional announcement is in order. The type of graduation announcement you order depends on several factors.
Depending of whether the graduate is graduating from High School or College the wording and type of invitation can be very different. If it is a high school graduation, the announcement may contain a phrase about the graduate who will be going on to college. If it is a college graduation, the announcement may contain a phrase about beginning life outside of school and starting a career. In either case, a phrase of completion and achievement will work well.
Graduation announcements can be gender specific or just generic. For girls, an announcement may be floral and very elegant. For men, the announcement may be more technical and architectural. More generic graduation announcement ideas are listed below.
Classic Parenting: Encouragement, Praise, Acceptance, and Responsibility
July 17, 2007
Encouragement comes when you focus on your child’s assets and strengths in order to build his/her self-confidence. It comes from seeing the positive. Even failures can be outstanding learning experiences. Encouragement sounds like this, “I like the way that you did that,” or “I know that you can do it,” or, “It looks like you worked very hard at that.”
Encouragement is NOT giving compliments for work poorly done, but under those circumstances it IS inspiring your child to work harder and do better. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” -St. Paul (Eph. 4:29)
Ultimately self-confidence comes from having accomplished things worth being proud of. Reserve praise for things well done. Where encouragement is given for effort, praise is given for accomplishment. Just say, “That’s a good start, keep at it,” when the work is not yet worthy of praise.
Top 10 Xbox Games Your Kids Want For Christmas This Year - Guaranteed!
July 16, 2007
Top 10 Xbox Games Your Kids Want For Christmas This Year - Guaranteed!
by: Greg Purnell
Here are some of the main Xbox games kids will be playing and talking about this Christmas. A variety of styles and levels of difficulty are included. Any of these games can be enjoyed by old pro’s or beginners.
1. Grand Theft Auto Double Pack
For the price of one game, you get both Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City together. Both GTA games give players some of the best racing and action gameplay available. This is an Xbox classic.
2. Need For Speed: Most Wanted
Take a unique, fast-paced ride in Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Build up your Rap Sheet to become the most wanted street racer. Drive head-to-head against top drivers while evading cops. A great racing Xbox game.
3. Halo: Combat Evolved
This game is story-driven, includes science fiction, and keeps the action level high. Halo has elaborate scenes as well as a ton of pure blasting action. This first-person shooter game is the standard by which all other first-person shooters are measured.
4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
So You Want to Adopt?
July 15, 2007
Many reasons will cause some people to feel the need to adopt a child. Sometimes it is because they have exhausted every other means of having children. Some people just feel the need to take care of children that don’t have anyone to take care of them. Still other people were adopted themselves. Whatever your reason for adoption, here are some things to consider before you undertake such a noble task.
Are you emotionally ready for such a commitment?If the reason you are adopting is due to infertility, have you resolved that issue?Is your house large enough?Are you financially ready for the responsibility of a child?
Finally, make sure that you work with a licensed, reputable adoption agency. A reputable agency will make sure that you follow the adoption laws in your state. A reputable agency will make sure that everyone’s needs are addressed. Adopting a child is a wonderful thing to do. The child gets a loving home, the birth mother can rest at ease knowing that her child is being well taken care of, and you get a child that you can call your very own. I’d call that a win-win situation.
Copyright DeAnna Spencer 2004
