Tips on Giving a Speech

Last semester at Nichols College, I took an effective speaking class. Everybody is always nervous to make a speech, but this class really helped me to not be as nervous when giving a speech. One of the most important things I can tell you about giving a speech is to be prepared. Being prepared for a speech would include having a speech written, having a visual aid to help you out, and most importantly to practice.

 When writing a speech, you shouldn’t just write out what you are going to say. The best way to be effective is to write an outline so that you know your main points, but you are not just looking down the entire time you are talking. It is a proven fact that the human brain remembers three main points best. So if you keep your speech to three main points it will make it easier for your audience to follow along. Like Jan Fletcher says in their first tip of giving an acceptance speech, keep it brief.

Having a visual aid will enhance your speech by helping you remember better, and by engaging your audience more. A visual aid could be a prop, like if you are selling a product; it would be beneficial to have to product with you, or a PowerPoint. A PowerPoint will help you remember what you are talking about, and it will keep your mind off of having an audience. That way you can focus on the PowerPoint and not just the audience, although you still need to participate with your audience.

 As they say, practice makes perfect. Another common phrase is timing is everything. With a speech, timing isn’t really everything, but it is important. If you go to an event and there is a speaker, you usually have an estimate in your mind of how long the speaker will talk for. If the speaker goes overtime, it inconveniences the audience and they start to loose focus. Practice for timing, and for presenting in a calm fashion.

 The effective speaking class really helped me when it comes to giving presentations, and the tips I have for you, I think can help you as well. So remember, be prepared with a speech written, a visual aid, and some practice!

Stacie Converse

This blog is an editorial to making Buffalo dip from a dorm room. When Lombard hall isn't up to parr, which is usually, this fast and easy recipe makes an amazing snack thats perfect to share between friends and roommates. All you need is a microwave safe dish, shredded cheddar cheese, cream cheese, ranch dressing, and a bottle of hot sauce. Normally the recipe calls for chicken, but since you most likely only have a microwave, it gets left out.

First, you empty the entire bag of shredded cheese into the dish. Next you pour half a bottle of ranch dressing. Spread evenly to best ability. Next, pour a good amount of hot sauce over the cheese and ranch. Spread the cream cheese over, next. Now, all you have left to do is cook it. Put the dish in the microwave for five minutes. At the end of the five minutes, take out the dish and stir. Put the dish back into the microwave for another minute, or until all ingredients are melted together (it will look like a consisten orange paste). When it is smooth and melted, it's ready to eat! It's enjoyed best with tortilla chips, pretzels, or anything else you can think of! When you've eaten all you can, put a cover over the dip, store it in the fridge, and you can reheat it later!

A few weeks ago I did something I've been wanting to do for awhile. After years of contemplating and chickening out, I got a tattoo. I got the word "Faith" on my hip bone. It's a tattoo that is significant to me in a lot of ways. When I was eight years old my mom was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, and given six months to live. All this and she's never smoked a cigarette a day in her life. Despite her grim prognosis, my mom kept fighting to beat the cancer and stay alive. Eleven years later, she's still cancer free. She's the strongest woman I know and I admire her for the faith she had. Because this was such an important event in my life, I wanted to get a tattoo as a reminder to always have faith no matter how dark times may seem. Since it was so important, and permanent, I wanted to make sure I went to the right place. When I met Kristopher Geer at Acute Body Art Co. , I was confident that I was getting my tattoo done at the right place. Everyone that worked there was extremely inviting, friendly, and funny. When I was really nervous and began rambling and asking silly questions, they quickly cracked jokes and calmed me down. At first I wanted to get a small tattoo right behind my ear that wouldn't be noticeable. He advised me against that because it was in a spot that was constantly being flexed when you talk, and a tattoo as small as I wanted to get would expand and run together. He gave me a lot of advice and we decided together what font, and where, would be the best place to get the tattoo I wanted. He knew a lot and I felt comfortable with his assurance. When I finally decided on a font and size, he took me into a cubicle, had me sat down, and ran through the process with me. He showed me all of the tools and how he sanitized them, and how some are brand new, packaged, and unopen. He told me the best position to sit in so that I wouldn't be tempted to move at all. As soon as he started tattooing, it barely felt like anything more than a pinch and it was over before I knew it. It came out really good, and I was and still am extremely happy with it. He gave me after care supplies, and gave me specific instructions about taking care of it. I followed everything he said, and my tattoo healed perfectly. The best part is that it was extremely reasonable pricing. Most tattoo artists charge by the hour, but Kristopher told me that they charge by the piece because they believe charging by the letter or by the hour is a rip off and is how most tattoo artists overcharge their customers. They were really honest and down to earth guys which was refreshing and comforting.  I reccomended him to two other friends who are also very satisfied with his work. I would reccommend them to anyone, and if I ever decided to get another tattoo I would definitely revisit them. In fact,  I think a lot of people feel the same way. He mentioned quite a few people at Nichols College that have been tattooed there numerous times. And while I was getting tattoo, a man came in with a sketch that has been getting tattooed by Kristopher for three years now. Needless to say, I was really happy with the experience, and if you're seriously interested in getting a tattoo, this place is worth looking into.

Montego Bay

If anyone is looking to take a vacation, Hotel Riu Montego Bay in Montego Bay, Jamaica is the place to go. I recently went on a vacation here in January and it was absolutely fabulous. The Hotel Riu Montego Bay is an all inclusive resort that offers a wide range of service to its clients next to a tranquil beach with turquoise water. The hotel offers a high quality service with the all inclusive system where the clients comfort and enjoyment are the most important aspects. The hotel offers the best installation if you are looking for recharging: a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, a gym and the wellness center "Renova Spa" with different kinds of treatments. The hotel offers a number of activities such as a gym, table tennis, volleyball, windsurf, sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, diving and other aquatic activities. During the day you will enjoy the entertainment program and at night time shows and the live music. For those of you who enjoy going clubbing, the hotel offers an indoor night club also known as "The Disco" which consists of the best rhythms of Jamaica. My experience at this hotel was unbelievable, the rooms were great, the entertainment throughout the day and performance the hotel staff provided was more than entertaining. I was able to witness a wedding on the beach at the hotel, and the set up was beautiful and everyone was pleased. This was by far a vacation I will always remember and I would absolutely go back there someday and I suggest you all do the same!

disney world

Going to Disney World is every little kids dream. My dream became a reality when I was five years old. My family and I drove over 3000 miles to make this dream come true I might been too small and did not fit most of the height requirement to go on most of the big and popular rides while I was their but my parents helped make the most of my experience. I also was too little to remember the whole trip to Disney world but the parts I do remember are lifelong memories. When my parents first told my siblings and I that we going taking a family vacation to Disney World I was extremely excited.  It has been almost fifteen years since I have been back in Disney world but I really would love to go back and relive my childhood memories. My most favorite memory from my first trip to Disney World was when I met Winnie the Pooh and also take my first ride on a small roller-coaster with my older brother. Disney World is a very big family oriented place for children of all ages, there are things for both young boys and girls there to do to catch their interests. There are also many things for children and also adults while being in the Disney Parks. While in the parks there are many things to do such as Epoct and the Magic Kingdom, there are so many big and fun rides that people of all ages to go on and see, although there are height requirement on most rides for safety reasons. Also there are many  Disney Character are all over the park and are very friendly with all of the visitors.  The Disney Theme parks have something to for visitors of all ages to do weather you are three to thirteen or in your eighties.  The best thing about the Disney Parks is that they all around the world in countries such as Europe and Asia. There are also two parks in the United State located in Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California. I would recommended everyone to take a family or a friend vacation at any of the Disney Theme Parks. I believe Disney World Parks are very warm and welcoming to people of all ages, there are many things for families to do throughout the park and create life long memories.

Carter Moots

Cafe L' Europe in Palm Beach, FL, is the best restaurant I have ever been to in my entire life. This specific restaurants in located in a prestigious part of the infamous Palm Beach. Located close to the breakers, and in the center of most multi-million dollar mansions, this location for a upscale restaurants is perfect. This is my family’s all time favorite place to get food in the entire world. Although plates range from 20-500 dollars, it is well worth the price you end up paying. This is a 5 star restaurant that many famous and wealthy people visit daily. If you go to this place during a season like winter when there are many people in FL, you will notice some important faces. We have seen major political, athletic and entertainment figures each time we decide to hit up this awesome place for some grub. I am so blessed that my father has been able to own a place in Palm Beach for the past 30 years.

If you ever decide to visit Palm Beach, FL, and are looking for one of the nicest restaurants in the world, you need to visit this prestigious place. And although it is pricey, i guarantee you will have the best meal of your life.

You Tube

My name is Shaneka Grant. I am writing about my favorite website which is you tube. Also my favorite you tube music video is I Look To You by Whitney Houston. This music video expresses how one can over the struggles in their lives. They just have to belive in the Lord and have faith.You tube is my favorite website because it gives me the chance to listen to music. I love listening to music because I take me into a different world where I can feel comfortable and express my feelings. Music helps me to relax and get all the negatives of my mind. Whenever I am bored or just doing home work etc, I put my ear phones in and on to you tube I go. Just because I use it very often I downloaded the app so it is easy for me to pull it up. Every morning before going to class I go on you tube and play songs and on my way to class my music is blasting in my ears. YouTube was invented by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. The inventors became millionaires when they sold their invention for 1.65 billion dollars to the search to Google. YouTube was founded in February 2005, as a destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through the Web. Users can upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and YouTube enables video embedding that allows YouTube videos to be placed on non-YouTube pages. It has help people all over the world in various ways. It has help in class projects, presentations and to advertise business. You tube gives one the chance to view videos and also make their own videos. It has both pros and cons like everything else. The advances of you tube are free hosting, top quality, decent length, file size for uploading, batch uploading, multiple encoding, popular codecs, embedding, and API. However, the cons are No real thumbnail choice, Limited and difficult customization, Streaming Quality, Unwanted competition, Can't use your own ad network, No Adaptive Bit-Rate Streaming, and blocked by companies. Anyone who loves to listen to music as I do can also related to this blog. It is a very easy website to use and most of the videos teach people things every day. This is a good website and I recommend everyone around the world who as not use it to start.

The Fighter Review

       The movie "The Fighter" directed by David O. Russel depicts the life of professional boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his brother Dick Eklund (Christian Bale). The movie takes a side role in depicting the way of life in Lowell, Massachusetts and does a good job to a certain extent. From a strict movie fan point of view the movie is a great movie. In the movie Mickey is the clear underdog of the boxing world. He is consistently challenged with the idea of going off and training full time to further his career under contract or stay in Lowell with his family and be managed by his mother. 

This gives him a lot of depth to the audience because they see he wants to break free and be his own man but respect the fact of how much he cares about family. This provides the audience with a main character who is easy to relate to and that they want to see succeed. This movie is set up for success with merely the plot, then comes the amazing acting. Mark Wahlberg did a great job of portraying Mickey, Christian Bale hits the personality of Dick Eklund perfectly. As someone who has grown up with the Ward's and Eklunds's, I have never before seen a more perfect impersonation of Dicky. The progression of events within the story line was spot on making this a terrific movie. The only problem I have with it are its inaccuracies. The movie has Micky going into the Mike Mungin as a scrub who gets run over by fighters, while in reality his record at this time was 18-1. The movie also gives Mungin a 20 pound advantage in the fight when the real weight difference was only by about eight pounds.

    All in all "The Fighter" is an amazing movie. It idolizes a man who is simply just a local hero to a small community. The directing is impeccable and each one of the cast members plays their role perfectly, this is a must see movie for any fighter, fighting fan, or underdog fan.

OLY OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING SHOE

         Pictured about on the top is me doing backsquats in the shoe that I am going to be reviewing.
         The Oly olympic weightlifting shoe is highly recommended if you like to lift! They are an expensive shoe starting at $149, but definitely worth every penny. This shoe only weights 13.4 ounces and is extremely comfortable. It has a U-form technology which gives you a custom fit. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees and throw the shoes in for three minutes. Once you take them out of the oven lace them up and throw them on for about 8 minutes seated. The shoe will form to your fit and keep that form for the life span of them which is great. This shoe has a wedge that makes any olympic lifts and squats that much sturdier and stable. Online they are rated to be an average width, very true to size, extremely comfortable, and they exceed most customers expectations. I sure know that they exceeded mine!
         This is a "crossfit shoe". I first heard of them at my crossfit gym. Others recommended the shoe to me, and the first thing I thought was there is no way I was going to spend that kind of money on a shoe I would keep in my gym bag and only change in to for specific lifts. I did do research online to see what everyone was raving about though. Some reviews online said that they improve your form on lifts, and you can sit back on heals on squats with confidence. These reviews didn't sell me right away. But here is what did. I saw that they people in my gym that owned these shoes were beating their previous personal records for their lifts by a lot. That is when I gave in to buying them. I saw the shoe really benefiting others in a huge way, and I wanted to have a leap of improvement too. I purchased the shoe and I was so mad at myself that I didn't invest the money any sooner. I have made all of my personal records on lifts while wearing these shoes and they are extremely comfortable. A review online said, "If you're serious about your lifts and want the right shoe this is the one," and I could not agree more.
         If anybody were ever interested in trying the shoe or looking at it, it can be found at REEBOK .
There are only a few color selections unless you were to ever customize a pair, but that can get a little bit more pricey.

Lindsey Stewart

The iPad 2 came out in 2012 and it hit world wide, everyone was buying it all over the world.  The iPad 2 is a lot smaller and skinnier then the first iPad. The battery life for the iPad 2 is about 6 hours at a time once it is fully charged.  The extra processing battery doesn't seem to provide any sort of supplement drain to the battery.  Buying the iPad 2 is something everyone is suggesting for people that don't want a computer but want to be able to use something smaller and fit it in a bag.  The iPad 2 is a lot faster and "better" than the previous iPad that had came out before.  The camera is a lot more defined and is better to take pictures with. One of the delays about the iPad is waiting for it to download information from the internet.  But because of the new upgraded iSOS contains a boost to the Safari browser. 

iPad 2 Reviews

Shop for the iPad 2

Miracle the Movie

The movieMiracle is both entertaining and inspirational. The movie is based on true events of the amazing underdog gold medal performance of the 1980 United States men’s Ice Hockey team. “The Soviets win. My goal is to beat them at their own game,” said Herb Brooks as he was interviewing to be the coach of the 1980 Olympic Ice Hockey team. The motivation of the U.S hockey team proved to overcome the skill and toughness of the Soviets during the games. Their passion for the game and country helped to unite the men on the team as well as brought together a nation. The movie Miracle is a film about hard work, determination, and restored the hope of the American people during the tough times.

                I think that the movie is great for all ages. It teaches important life qualities that all people can relate to. I would recommend this film to anyone who asked about it.

Tiffany & Co.

My favorite jewelry is well known and beautiful Tiffany & Co , which was founded in 1837, by Charles Lewis Tiffany in New York City. That’s where the obvious name of Tiffany came from. Charles Tiffany was known as the diamond king of the world because of the marvelous jewelry that he produced for his company Tiffany & Co. His company was and always will be known to be the home of the finest diamonds on the face of the earth. Almost every celebrity in Hollywood prefers to choose Tiffany & Co. over tons of other famous, and glamorous jewelry brands, almost completely because of it's infamous diamonds. 

The first time that I got my first item of tiffany jewelry was the classic Return to Tiffany Heart Tag Charm Bracelet at the Tiffany store in NYC on 5th Ave. When I walked in, I was immediately drawn to the case that had this bracelet in it. I wouldn’t help but to beg my father for it until he said yes. Of course he did, and I got this bracelet for Christmas in 2007. I continue to wear it everyday of my precious life. Whenever I do not have this bracelet on, I feel as if I am "naked". There was one day that I lost it and I had a complete panic attack. I remember running all over my house screaming at my mother because I was convinced that she had stolen it from me! She always tells me how beautiful it is, and how lucky I am to have this beautiful piece of jewelry around my wrist. I recommend Tiffany jewelry over any other brand of jewelry because not only is it beautiful, but also it is guaranteed for life! What more could you ask for? I am one happy girl every time I get a new piece of jewelry from Tiffany. All of the jewelry that I own is from Tiffany, and I will continue to purchase Tiffany jewelry for the rest of my life. Also, if you want a nice piece of jewelry for not that expensive, I recommend Tiffany for sure. Tiffany is known for their engagement rings, which are absolutely beautiful!

DIsney World

     If you want to go on a nice relaxing vacation, but also have fun, you should plan a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I have recently been to Disney in May of 2012. There are many activities to do down in Orlando. Everyday my friends and I went to one of the four parks.

     In Orlando, Florida it is usually very warm where you can go to the beach, go swimming in the ocean and pools mostly all throughout the year. Disney is a very family oriented place to be. Disney is for all ages, and very fun for the whole family.
     I stayed at the All Star Movie Resort with my graduating class. The All Star Resort is about ten minutes away from the Magic Kingdom, which is very convenient for a group of teenagers to get around.

   The Magic Kingdom is the main place to go when you go to Disney World. Some of the rides you can go on are Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain. Those rides appeal to both adults and kids. Meeting the Disney characters is also one of the main things to do while down in Disney World.
   The other three parks are The Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM Studios. The main rides at these parks include The Tower of Terror, The Rock n' Roller Coater, Expedition Everest, the African Safari, and Epcot's ball ride.
   I strongly agree that if you do not know where to go on vacation with your family, and you want to stay in the United States, go the Disney World in Orlando, Florida. You will have an amazing time either staying at the hotel and go to the pools and beaches, or going to the parks and going on the rides and meeting all the Disney characters.

GoPro Camera

GoPro Camera

 Jeffrey Turrini

People these days push the boundaries on a daily basis, whether it is doing something that no one has done before or it is going somewhere no one has gone before. But in this day and age with technology and social media, people want to show their achievements to the world so video cameras and other things are used regularly. But one camera stands out from the rest, The GoPro. This small camera is perfect for the active person looking to film on the go and will not break the bank.

This lightweight mountable camera is smaller than an IPhone making it easy to mount in thousands of places. Whether it is mounted on a car roof, a bicycle, a helmet, an airplane, or a surfboard. The possibilities are endless making difficult camera angles easier than ever. A rugged plastic shell for protection houses the camera. The housing also creates a watertight seal allowing the GoPro to be submerged in up to twenty meters of water. The camera does both video and still shot to satisfy all needs. The latest GoPro camera is Wi-Fi enabled and even has a wireless remote making start and stop of footage much easier for the user.

Starting at just two hundred dollars it really is the best bang for your buck. The camera delivers an astonishing 1080p quality, which is amazing because it is literally the size of a pack of cigarettes. Easily connectable to your computer via USB cable and then footage and or pictures can be posted to such places as YouTube or Facebook, also it can be connected to a television where you can truly see the HD quality of the camera.

These cameras are very popular amongst professional athletes because the world is so anxious to see what it is like to be a professional athlete first hand. One example is professional Supercross, a sport that consist of the worlds fastest dirt bike riders all racing for the Indoor Supercross Championship. Whenever this sport is live on television at least half of the pro riders have a GoPro on their helmet or bike that has a live stream connection so that the world is able to see what it is like onboard a professional dirt bike racer.

If you have interest in purchasing a Gopro camera visit GoPro.com

Nichols College

Nichols College is located in Dudley Mass and is a small school in a very small community. There are some good things about Nichols and then there are some bad things about the school and this review is going to touch base on some of the things i think about the place. I think that there are a few good things about Nichols such as the sports teams and how well they do in their conference. I also think that  the teachers and professors and staff that work are very committed to helping you become successful in getting a job when you graduate. The success rate of graduates is also something that i think is very good because why spend so much money to go to school if it is for nothing, this school makes sure that you get a good job by preparing you for the real world. The school also has a nice campus and offer some very good things such as a nice gym, a field house, two workout rooms and many fields and tennis courts. The campus also just opened the new student center in the center of campus, in the student center there are two brand new places to get food ( Wow Cafe, and Jazmins Cafe) there is also a mail room, residence life, classrooms and the school store is located in it. The campus is also near some great places to order from, there is chinese, mcdonalds, burger king, kfc, all the good places to eat that everyone loves.

Some of the bad things about campus in my opinion are the fact that there are more boys on campus then girls, the number of students is a bit low and the choice of food in the dinning hall is not very good. The food that they serve us never really changes, it is the same thing like burgers and fries, sandwiches, pasta and pizza. Sometimes they offer us something special but that does not happen to often. I just think that if they gave us some more choice to eat then the students would not be so un happy going to eat in the dinning hall.

Review Simone Pizzonia

Nike Fuel band

The nike fuel band has gotten a lot of mixed reviews, some good and some bad. If you are really into fitness and dieting then getting the band is defiantly a good investment, but might be a process to set up if your computer challenged. The biggest problem with the fuel band is the set up that you have to go through to just to get to use it. Not only do you have to download the software to your phone but you also have another app from nike that you have to download to log into your account and keep track of your progress. But once all your software is installed the log in and loading process is simple. You have to enter all the typical stuff like your weight, height and gender and enter all your daily goals; for example, the amount of calories you would like to burn a day and carb intake. It also gives you fuel points which you earn by walking and burning calories. 

       The band comes in two different colors, black and clear with LED lights in it that light up the screen to tell you your calorie count. Some people especially in professional industries say that the band is too big and is hard to hide. They want to keep a consistency of knowing there daily calories and make sure they stay on track with improving there daily progress. A lot of people say that they are spending less time on there phones now because on the fuel band it tells you the time. When people usually go to check the time on there phone they also open it and start using it; with the band all they have to do is use it like a watch.

   Another great feature about the watch is that it puts in a pool with other people who use the fuel band so you can compare your progress. You can even chat with some of them if you go online and see what they have changed in there every day lives to reach there calories burned ect. The band shows you which hours of the days you are most active and times when you could maybe use some more excise or fit something in that time to make you drop calories. Overall the band is a great investment if you are really focused on staying fit and being active, its like a daily log that you have but without the hassle of having to write it all down yourself. 

Apple Inc.

Apple Inc.

Alex Guest

February 18, 2013

Apple is one of the leading technology company’s with world-renowned sales and production that has grown to be one of the most popular electronics company in the world. The company is based out of Cupertino California and was established by co- founder Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs who started off with there own design of the pre assembled computer circuit boards. The two improved their design all around, and then founded Apple Computer in 1977. After 30 years of the company’s funding the name was changed from Apple Computers to Apple.  When Apple II was launched the goal of the product was to change the technological world for how people learn and use information to work as a whole. The revolution of Apple has changed so fast since the turn of the century continuing to innovate and expand every year.

I am personally a proud user and consumer of apple because when I was in elementary school I was exposed to apple at a very young age. When I was in first grade we had computer class weekly and our school had a contract with Apple every 2-3 years the school would get the latest computers. From first grade and up I was fascinated with Apple and their products. I learned so much at a young age about Apple Computers that I purchased my first iBook G4 in 2004 and from then on I have been an avid customer of apple. I use Apple products everyday weather it is for school or exercise I love the overall design and quality of all Apple Products that I own One of the most impressive parts to Apple is the marketing and production of new devices that make it extremely hard for the competition to keep up with the rapid production of products. With last years quarterly revenue of $35.0 billion Apple has had record high sales in all products. Apple does not just come out with the latest gadgets but also designs computer software, which are tied in to software such as iTunes ect. I think that Apples innovative Skills of manufacturing high demand products around the world make them very different from other companies. I would recommend Apple to anyone because the quality of the product and support from the company are phenomenal and easy to use. I have never experienced any problems with any of my 5 apple products and will continue to buy from apple as a committed costumer for years to come.

Apple Statistics and history of the company.