How Audiobooks Can Change The Way You Experience Literature

Audiobooks are CDs or even MP3s that permit users to listen to spoken word recordings of their favorite novels. At one time these were most commonly known as books on tape. It just does not make sense to call them that now that they can be played from an iPod or through a disc player. Though this type of media has always been popular in academic settings for people of all ages, it is now becoming a common type of "reading" for all variety of literature and all settings.
Audio books come in a few different formats. You can select the unabridged version or the abridged version. When a book is abridged it has been made shorter to make it a briefer read, and audio books are like this to shorten the recordings. Not everyone loves the abridged versions since they enjoy the story in its original glory and strength. Some say that the abridged story isn't missing much at all in terms of presenting all the major aspects of the story in proper detail.
Unabridged audiobooks are definitely the best choice among true fans of literature. These are full readings of the original text. Nothing is taken out of an unabridged version, so there is no argument about the necessity of removing details from a novel. The only real downside to unabridged audio books is the occasional extra recording costs. However, if you want to listen to the most accurate depiction of a book that is available in spoken word, then this is the route you need to take. Which version you are getting is generally displayed clearly on the front of the package.
Millions of literature lovers and casual readers alike have turned to this form of novel. It is especially popular with those who travel a lot as well as readers who may have weak eyes from age. Nearly all popular books are marketed this way now. Libraries, bookstores, music shops, as well as other retailers offer audio versions of your favorites. The newest way to get your audio books is by downloading them from the internet. Now you can upload a spoken word text directly to your MP3 player for easy access, no matter where you are.
Audiobooks are a fantastic option for busy readers who want access to their favorite pastime without having to sacrifice other parts of their life. Listen to your favorite tales from anywhere you are at anytime you choose. No matter how you decide to listen, everyone loves to be read to.

Three Ways Having a Hooded Hair Dryer Can Benefit You

Whether it's the basic version that comes relatively cheap or the ones costing hundreds of dollars, a hooded hair dryer is beneficial to you and your hair. Here are three ways you can benefit from owning a hooded hair dryer.
1. Deep Conditioning. This is the foremost reason every girl should invest on having one of those dryers. Deep conditioning - achieved by applying some heat - can make your hair more soft and beautiful. Heat helps open up the hair's cuticles thereby allowing the conditioner to penetrate deeply. Try deep conditioning with heat and you'll see a difference with your hair. You can also check for yourself the difference between conditioning with and without heat with these instructions. First, after shampooing and rinsing it off, apply your conditioner; look in the mirror and you will notice in your hair some globs - conditioner residuals - most of which you can still see after cleansing your hair. Then, try doing it again except this time sit under the hooded dryer set on low or medium heat for as long as 15 minutes. Look into the mirror and you won't see those globs. That is because the conditioner has penetrated deeply into your hair. Is it not amazing how hooded dryer can allow all those proteins and conditioners into your hair?
2. Quick Wet Set. Wet set refers to any hair styling technique wherein you set your hair while it is wet the way you wanted it to look when dried. This includes styling the hair with doobie wrap, roller set, spiral rollers, curl formers, etc. A hooded hair dryer helps in wet setting by speeding up drying of the hair making you achieve the style you want fast. How long should you sit under the hood and your hair's thickness will be determined by your setting. You can choose from low, high, or medium settings.
A wet set technique is a nice and easy way to achieve either a straight or curly hair without direct heat exposure. Added with a hooded dryer, you change from wavy and be straight or vice versa in no time.
3. Speedy Air Drying. If you are not into wet setting, you can still benefit from having a hooded dryer if you do air dry your hair. You can get the help of a hooded dryer to speed up your air drying or to do the task completely. Air drying can take too much time depending on the hair's length and thickness. You can start air drying from six o'clock and still not have your hair completely dried by ten. But don't worry, sit under the hooded dryer for 30 minutes and you're done. So if you get frustrated with air drying because it takes too much of your time but you don't want your hair to be wet nor would you leave the house with dripping water from your hair, getting yourself a hooded dryer is the solution.
And those are the reasons why you should get yourself a hooded hair dryer.

What Can You Learn At Art School?

One of the things many people say as they get older is that they wish they had gone somewhere like art or music at school or at college which would give them that bit more satisfaction from their life. It is a sad fact that many people as they approach middle age, tend to have regrets about what they have chosen to do with their life. Luckily though, it is never too late to go back to Art College and learn about something you always wanted. This of course holds true for people of any age too.
Here is some information on what you will have to look forward to if you do apply and get accepted.
Art History
One of the first major classes you will have will focus on art history. For people who have a natural affinity to modern art, this are of study may make you want to stay in bed all day but it is very important part of art school. Knowing the history of art will give you a mature outlook on your own style of painting and will allow you to have as rounded an opinion as possible about all the many paintings and sculptures that people generally refer to as the classics. Being able to follow styles of art and also the particular methods used by certain artists will allow you to transfer all the perceptions people have about that piece on to your own with a skilfully homage to your subject.
Technical Skill
Art school will of course teach you all the technical skills you need to be able to produce pieces in a range of mediums. You will learn about brush technique and selection, how to create affects using different art materials and proper use of easels. It will teach you about creating depth using shadows and perspective and about how to play with people's perceptions to provoke an appropriate response to your work.
Emotional Skill
An important skill you will also learn is how to get in touch with your emotions. Often a teacher will ask you to try and draw out the emotions of your subject and reproduce them on the page. This will help you to explore your own emotional maturity. Photography is popular form of artistic expression which has touched all our lives through newspapers and films, and art school can teach you how to capture those key moments that will really grab an audience or convey a message which gets a response. After all, a picture tells a thousand words.

10 Female Firsts in American History You May Not Know

March 8th marks the 100th anniversary of celebrating International Women's Day. You probably know that Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female Supreme Court Justice, Sally Ride was the first female Astronaut and Hilary Clinton was the first female to win a Presidential Primary contest. But what were all the women doing before them in American history? Women couldn't vote, own property or sit on a jury but they were still accomplishing great achievements. See if you know some or any of these Female Firsts:
• The first female American writer? In 1650, Anne Bradstreet's book of poems, "The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America" was published in England.
• The first female American artist? Henrietta Johnston began work as a portrait painter in Charleston, South Carolina in 1707. In 1896, Alice Guy Blache became the first female film director and would shoot more than 300 movies.
• The first female American publisher? In 1766, Mary Katherine Goddard became the publisher of the Providence Gazette and the first American female postmaster in 1775.
• The first female to receive a US patent? Mary Kies was granted her patent in 1809 for a method of weaving straw with silk. In 1885, Sarah E. Goode became the first African- American woman to receive a patent for her bed that folded up into a cabinet.
• The first female American Doctor? Elizabeth Blackwell received her MD from the Medical Institution of Geneva, NY in 1849. In 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African-American woman to receive her MD from the New England Female Medical College. In 1866, Lucy Hobbs became the first female American Dentist.
• The first female minister? Antoinette Blackwell was ordained a minister in the Congregational denomination in 1853. In 1879, Mary Baker Eddy became the first woman to found a major religion, Christian Science.
• The first female lawyer? Arabella Mansfield was granted permission to practice law in Iowa in 1869. Belva Lockwood became the first woman admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court in 1879. In 1993, Janet Reno became the first female US Attorney General.
• The first female Presidential Candidate? Victoria Claflin Woodhull was nominated by the National Radical Reformers in 1872.
• The first female American Mayor? In 1887, Susanna Medora Salter became the mayor of Argonia, Kansas. In 1991, Sharon Pratt Dixon would be sworn in as Mayor of Washington DC, the first African-American female mayor of any major US city.
• The first female Director of the US Stock Exchange? In 1897, women couldn't have their own bank accounts but the highest financial institution was run by Juanita Kreps. She later became the first female Secretary of Commerce. In 1997, Madeline Albright was sworn in as US Secretary of State and the highest ranking woman in the government. In 2005, Condoleeza Rice became the first African-American female Secretary of State.

Sugar Free Foods

If you are dieting, you may want to cut out some calories by cutting a lot of the sugar out of your diet. There are great sugar free foods out there, but you do have to be careful when buying. If you want to eat smart, you have to learn to read the labels so that you know what you are putting into your body. You have to know how big a serving is and how many come in each container. This is what trips people up sometimes. Additives to make up for a lack of sugar also trips people up, so know what you are buying when shopping for better foods for your diet.
Sugar free products have always been around, though not nearly as many were on the shelves as you find now. These were for diabetics mostly at first, but the diet industry grew and grew, and now these are everywhere. Many sugar free products use artificial sweeteners, most of which are considered safe. That consideration, however, is up to you. Some don't trust them. You shouldn't eat artificial sweeteners when you are pregnant, as some wonder about the effects on the baby. Talk to your OB about your concerns if you have them.
If you are dieting and cutting back on sugar calories, there are some great sugar free foods that you can use so that you can still eat some of the things that you love while cutting back on your overall caloric intake. However, this is where reading labels comes into play. Some add extra fats and other things to make up for the loss of sugar to try to make it taste as close to the original product as possible. It is up to you know how what these things are and to decide if you think they are right for your diet. Sugar builds fat, so getting it out of your diet is a good thing, and natural fat is not that bad for you as you may think.
You are not going to find sugar free products that taste just like the sugar full variety. That is not yet possible and may never be. However, artificial sweeteners are better than ever, and many of these foods taste pretty darn good. After a while, you will grow to expect that taste rather than the taste of the full sugar item. It's like drinking diet Pepsi for a while. You get so use to the taste that regular Pepsi will taste thick and too sweet to you if you try it again. It won't be the same, but it will soon be the norm for you and you will like it just fine.

Pancreatic Cancer Evades Early Detection

There is a reason that some cancers have a high death toll. While some manifest themselves in very noticeable ways such as skin cancer which can be detected topically. Other forms of cancer such as thyroid or throat cancer have distinct calling cards like pain and inflammation or the presence of blood in the saliva which leads to further investigation, prompting an early detection (in best case scenarios) of the cancer before it has the opportunity to metastasize. In the United States of America more than 40,000 individuals die of pancreatic cancer symptoms each year making this cancer one of the most prolific cancers with the highest morbidity rates.
Unfortunately there are other types of cancers which show few signs at all. There are no overt symptoms that can be pinpointed at the early stage and no "red flags" that might prompt a more in depth investigation. Another name for Cancer is "the silent killer" which refers to specific types of cancer that should no signs, offer no opportunity for early detection or manifest as a myriad of other more common and less concerning symptoms, masking themselves as a regular chronic condition rather than a life threatening one.
Pancreatic cancer symptoms are classified as one of the "silent killers" and it is a cancer that is rarely detected until at least stage two or stage three, at which time it is almost assuredly fatal to the patient. No one clearly understands the causes of pancreatic cancer symptoms but it was believed for some time that Diabetes and the additional strain placed on the pancreas by the onset of Type I or Type II diabetes lead to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Clinical studies have shown a link between Diabetes and Pancreatic cancer symptoms but it is not yet known which condition is the precipitating factor for the other. Does one condition cause the other in a chain reaction? Or is there a third condition that must exist that both causes diabetes and leads to pancreatic cancer symptoms? Researches continue to investigate.

How To Get More Money For Your Used Car

When you have a used car and want to sell it, it's best to get as much value out of it as possible. Most will take the earnings from the used car and make it easier to purchase your new car. When you are going to get rid of your old car, there are things that you can do that will help you get more money for it. Find out what you need to do.
The worst thing you can do in most cases is trade it in at the dealership. Generally speaking you are going to get a bad price. The reason is that the dealership has to offer you a low value so they can resell it at a competitive price. Yes, it's easier to do it this way but you won't get as much as you could.
Sell your used car online through local classifieds. Many car sites are online that will let you list your car to get you potential buyers. The more buyers that are looking at your used car, the more likely it is for your car to be purchased at a good price.
Do what you can to take car of your used car when you are driving it. The better shape your car is in, the more likely it is that you will get a better price when you do sell it when buying your new car. Always take that little bit of extra effort to put in the extra care and preserve the car's value.
If you can, try driving your car a bit less. This helps because you won't add huge mileage. When you have lower mileage, you can sell your car for a much higher price. Be sure that you do what you can to keep these low.
You should buy brands that retain value. There are certain makes and models of cars that can be resold for higher values than others. When buying a car, look into whether you could get more for your used car when you do end up selling it.