Everyone loves beach holidays!  The little ones can dig in the sand and splash in the lapping waves.  The older ones can swim, get a tan, or just relax.  The inquisitive types can explore for sea life, tide pools, and drift wood.  The warm breezes and natural beauty are invigorating and restorative.  Any trip, however, can cause discomfort if you do not plan well.  Here are things you can do to make your beach holidays easier, safer, and more meaningful.

In many parts of the world, people head for their beach holidays in the family car. When planning a trip, it's always a good idea to give the car a good cleaning out first. This will give you more room for your luggage.  Stock you glovebox, too, with a few first aid and comfort items, such as sunblock, acetominiphen for headaches, a roll of antacids, a few cough drops, and a few bandaids.  Don't forget a couple of scrunchies or pony-tailers for long hair. Get the tires checked and replace any that are likely to go flat.  Get an oil change if it's getting close.  Road trips are not much fun when they include breakdowns.  And whatever you do, make sure you have a map and a place to keep it handy.

Travelling with kids is always a challenge.  They may be particularly excited and impatient when they know they are going on beach holidays.  Make sure they have cool water bottles and healthy snacks to munch.  Try a simple car game to make the time pass.  Many kids like looking for letters of the alphabet on signs.  If several people get involved it can be quite fun.

With beach holidays particularly, there is always a need to provide for skin safety.  Be particularly careful about being in the sun for long stretches of time between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.  Use a sunblock with a high SPF rating and replace it after getting wet or drying off with your towel.  The towel you choose can make a difference too.  Thick towels get heavy and tend to trap a lot of sand.  You may find you like thin towels at the beach.  Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and some sort of foot protection to keep your feet from being burned on the hot sand.

With a little preparation your beach holidays can be enjoyable and problem-free.  When you arrive home you will be relaxed, refreshed, and ready for work. Take a minute to unpack and get your laundry going.  It won't belong until the kids will be shouting, "When can we go on beach holidays again?" 

Summary:

Research and clinical practice has demonstrated that co-occurring disorders (addictions and mental health issues occurring together) are the rule, not the exception. This leaves many people who were trained as psychologists, mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists at a great disadvantage, both clinically and professionally. They are at a clinical disadvantage, because addictions counseling requires a very different counseling approach than most counselors ...

Keywords:

addictions,counselor,substance abuse,certification,continuing education,alcoholism,drug abuse,eating

Article Body:

Research and clinical practice has demonstrated that co-occurring disorders (addictions and mental health issues occurring together) are the rule, not the exception. This leaves many people who were trained as psychologists, mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists at a great disadvantage, both clinically and professionally. They are at a clinical disadvantage, because addictions counseling requires a very different counseling approach than most counselors use. Professionally they are at a disadvantage because many insurance companies, agencies and Medicaid are starting to require certification in addictions counseling to work with clients who have addictions.

So, what are the options? Most of us do not want to go back to school to get yet another degree. The good news is that getting your precertification training for addictions counseling is easy. You can take online courses such as those offered at http://www.allceus.com or http://www.last-homestudy.com, go to conferences or take college courses. In most states, any addictions certification is sufficient. The National Association for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) both offer national addictions certifications. Your other option is to get certified in your home state. Many states now have boards that offer certification as an addictions professional. The down side to state certifications is that they do not transfer if you move out of state.

But I am doing addictions counseling now and am not certified. Why should I jump through all of those hoops? Well, there are several reasons: Ethics, effectiveness, earning potential. All professional codes of ethics state that you must be appropriately trained to provide services to your target population. Therefore, if you are licensed or certified in mental health or psychology, you are expected to gain the extra education necessary to effectively serve your population. As I stated earlier, addictions counseling is far different than traditional Rogerian “talk therapy.” To be effective as an addictions counselor, you must understand the addiction, how it has become the person’s best fiend, why they do not want to give it up and cognitive-behavioral and solution-focused strategies to help them make the change. Finally, earning potential. Addictions certifications open up a whole new set of employment opportunities. Additionally, many agencies will pay more for someone with an addictions certification, versus someone with only a mental health counseling license or no license at all.

In this age of addictive behavior: alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, gambling, the internet and sex, it is vitally important that clinicians can identify and treat addictive behaviors. In persons with co-occurring disorders, it is even more important, because alcohol or drug abuse and eating disorders all impact the dosage and effectiveness of psychotropic medications. Visit NAADAC at: http://naadac.org/documents/index.php?CategoryID=3 for more information.

Summary:

Your catalytic converter can be hazardous to your health...literally! Take care of your car and your catalytic converter will do what it is supposed to do: reduce pollution.

Keywords:

catalytic converter, oxygen sensor, auto parts, muffler, exhaust pipes, tail pipes, performance part

Article Body:

Government auto emissions control legislation mandates that virtually all cars built or sold in the U.S. come equipped with a catalytic converter. A smart device, catalytic converters help to convert dangerous and polluting exhaust gases into less harmful carbon dioxide and water. As helpful of a device that it is, there are some hazards that come with the use of a catalytic converter. Read on to learn what you need to know about your vehicle’s catalytic converter.

Many consider a catalytic converter to be a godsend. With pollution levels ever climbing, the U.S. government acted to reduce harmful pollutants in a step to clean up the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency was formed by the Nixon Administration and the agency was instrumental in passing the Clean Air Act to help America control pollution. Since 1975 virtually every passenger vehicle has come equipped with a catalytic converter.

As helpful as catalytic converters can be, they can be problematic. Besides catalytic converter failure, which generally goes unnoticed until your vehicle flunks its next inspection, it is the intense heat of the unit that can cause problems.

If you work on your own vehicle, you need to let your car cool down completely before working near the exhaust system. Catalytic converters get very hot, as hot as 1800 degrees, and any burn sustained from touching a hot converter can be very dangerous, even deadly.

Motorists have also learned that a catalytic converter can be a fire hazard. For the past three decades police and fire department reports have indicated that many car fires have been started because a motorist parked their car over dry leaves. Even when the engine is off the hot converter can drop a spark which can ignite leaves underneath. If that happens, your car can be engulfed in mere minutes and destroyed by the conflagration.

There are also hazards that occur to the catalytic converter itself. Because the unit burns at such hot temperatures, catalytic converters can suffer rapid thermal deactivation. Some experts suggest switching to synthetic engine oil to help reduce phosphorous contaminants a known contributor to catalytic converter failure.

No, you cannot legally remove your catalytic converter as you may become subject to stiff fines and penalties. Yes, if your car was built before 1975, none of these concerns matter to ou so enjoy your classic and let her rip without pollution controls holding you back!

Searching for a quality luxury car will inevitably bring anyone to the rather apt adjective, “exotic”. Exotic food or exotic beauty may be more clearly defined, but what really makes for an exotic sports car?

Sleek and Elegant Design

Part of what makes an exotic sports car is the vehicles’ streamlined, sleek, and smooth designs, all of which serve functional purposes to the overall performance of the car albeit being so highly aesthetically pleasing.

Indeed, even exotic sports car makers know emphasis that car enthusiasts and racers put on design per se. After all, owning an exotic sports car in contrast to owning a car is, in itself, a status symbol. This status is endowed not only by the make of the car but also the style and visual appeal.

In fact, companies like Ferrari even employ design houses to come up with their car designs. Design powerhouse Pininfarina, for example, designed the 2002 Ferrari ENZO.

Breakneck Speeds

While design is one of the considerations of many car enthusiasts, the primary characteristic that by-far differentiates a sports car from the rest is its acceleration and maintainable road speed. When it comes to sports cars, it’s all a matter of speed, speed, and more speed. A pretty car won’t cut it if it cannot deliver the exhilarating ride that is expected of every sports car.

Exotic cars are continually challenging the rate at which a car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Designs are beginning to be shaped from the engineering needs of the car, in order to suitably deliver a new record speed. As of the moment, the 1994 Dauer 962 LeMans continues to reign with 2.6 seconds. However, with the likes of the 2002 Ferrari ENZO being designed based on the specifications of making a fast car, expect faster sports cars in the near future.

One-in-a-Million

Indeed, exotic sports cars aren’t the type that mass produced and you can’t but then “off-the-lot”. Part of its exotic appeal is the fact that you can only have a certain number of models made available for sale. The rarer and more difficult to acquire, the greater a car’s exotic value.

It’s in the Name

Most cars don’t need visualization to be called exotic, they just are. These would include your cult sports car classics—your Porsche, your Ferrari, your Lamborghini.

While an ‘exotic sports car’ may be subjectively defined over a huge stratum, it’s safe to believe that these qualities are more or less held in commonality by any definition. At any rate, one look at a car may be enough to give you a clue.

Even if you are confined to a wheelchair or on

crutches, you can still enjoy Disneyland. If you are

on crutches, you should consider renting a

Disneyland Scooter to get around the park. The

rental fee is $35 per day, with a $20 deposit. A valid

driver’s license is required, and you must be

eighteen years old or older.

You can also choose to rent a wheelchair, which is

not electronic. The rental fee for a wheelchair is $8

per day, with a $20 deposit. You do not have to rent

your wheelchair or Scooter from Disneyland. You can

choose to rent the apparatus from a private company,

and have the wheelchair or scooter delivered to your

hotel room. You may find that it is cheaper to rent

from a private company, as opposed to renting from

Disneyland.

All of the restaurants and shops are wheelchair

accessible, as are the entertainment areas. When it

comes to wheelchairs, your problem will be

accessing some of the rides. Some rides are not

appropriate for people who are in wheelchairs,

while others are perfectly suitable. For instance, you

will not be able to enjoy Donald’s Boat, Sailing Ship,

or Tarzan’s Tree house.

However, there are many attractions that you can

enjoy, such as The Disney Gallery, Disneyland

Monorail, the Disneyland Railroad, the Tiki Room,

The Golden Horseshoe, It’s A Small World, Mark

Twain Riverboat, and Tom Sawyer Island. Some

attractions will require you to be transferred from your

wheelchair, such as Alice in Wonderland, Indiana

Jones, and the King Arthur Carrousel.

Cast members and service personnel will be happy

to help with Guest wheelchair transfers, and if you

should lose a wheelchair or scooter that you’ve rented

from Disneyland, simply show the ticket for the

wheelchair or scooter, and Disneyland will happily

supply you with another one. However, if you lose a

wheelchair or scooter that was rented from an outside

company, Disneyland will not be able to help you

replace it, and you may have to pay the rental company

the full value of the chair. This is something to consider

when you are trying to decide whether to rent from

Disneyland or a private company.

Whether you can enjoy a ride in your wheelchair, or

you must be transferred from your wheelchair to the

ride, you can actually enjoy most of the rides at

Disneyland. Do not allow the fact that you can’t walk

around the park keep you from planning a Disneyland

Vacation. Again, Disneyland was designed with

everyone in mind!