In Indiana, September is a time to save for the future, more specifically, college. Gov. Mitch Daniels declared September “College Savings Month.”

Gov. Daniels wants College Savings Month to be a time for families across the state of Indiana to look to the future and consider the importance of higher education. He also wants parents to recognize the positive influence a college education can have on their children’s future. The state is encouraging parents to look into CollegeChoice 529 Savings Plans.

“It is imperative that we begin preparing for our children’s futures as early as possible. With our CollegeChoice 529 Savings Plans, Hoosier families can begin doing that now,” said State Treasurer Richard Mourdock. “Every dollar saved today is one less a Hoosier family will have to borrow in the future.”

As a way to pay for tuition, CollegeChoice 529 Savings Plans offer a variety of investment options which include low fees, and possible qualification for a Indiana state income tax credit of up to $1,000. Anyone, not just the parents, can contribute to a college savings account on behalf of any beneficiary. In addition to tax benefits and low fees, those who enroll for the savings account can expect flexible investment options and affordable minimum contributions.

A recent study showed that children with school savings accounts are almost four times as likely to go to college than children without a school savings account, and the state of Indiana wants more children to have the odds in their favor.

Mourdock is encouraging Indiana companies to consider providing the college savings plan as a  benefit to their employees. He’s asking companies to allow their employees to sign up for the plan during the next open enrollment and have them set aside money with payroll direct deposit.

“Offering CollegeChoice 529 Plans is a great opportunity for Hoosier employees to save for their children’s, grandchildren’s, or even their own career training,” Mourdock said. “It’s good for employees and good for their employers.”

Via Wane-TV

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“Do the Dotty” is a connect-the-dots game that teaches children how to count and identify numbers. This game also require a pretty high level of hand-eye coordination, a skill children growing up in the touch-screen may benefit from, but is also at times frustrating when the game doesn’t respond. “Fishoonka” gets kids to learn about the concepts of “greater than,” “lesser than” and “equal to” in an underwater setting. The “Toot Toot Train” game deploys basic principals of addition and subtraction. “Numberella” is another game that involves identifying the values of numbers, and “Booster Balls” is a counting game that involves friendly monsters. The games all feature appealing and colorful graphics.

The iPhone version of Number Sense was endorsed by Apple on its “New and Noteworthy” page. The iPad version has been redesigned not only for the larger screen, but also based on feedback from kids, parents and teachers.

Download the Number Sense iPad App here.

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New research conducted by Scott Rick from University of Michigan and Maurice E. Schweitzer University of Pennsylvania shows that people perceive you as less intelligent when you drink, even if they are drinking also. Their finding are published in a paper titled “The Imbibing Idiot Bias: Merely Holding an Alcoholic Beverage Can be Hazardous to Your (Perceived) Intelligence.” They simulated interviews and then asked observers to comment on them. Even with the dialogue unchanged, observers found anyone holding an alcoholic beverage less intelligent. If the conversation was a job interview, they found drinkers to seem less hirable. They found that the bias applied to drinkers of both beer and wine, and was unchanged by the gender of the drinker.

“Although alcohol consumption often impairs cognition, we identify an implicit association between alcohol and cognitive impairment that causes people to over-generalize this link,” Rick and Schweitzer write. In short, if you’re in any situation where you’re being considered for a job or promotion, stick to water or coffee.

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Here’s a list of this school year’s hottest gadgets:

Clocky Alarm Clock ($39): No longer will you be able to blame your tardiness on your alarm clock. Clocky has wheels attached to the sides and rolls away out of your reach to keep you from hitting the snooze button excessively.

Pivot Power ($25): This bendy power strip lets you shape it to fit any space. You can twist it, curl it or stretch it. Do whatever you need to do to make all those power cords more organized and less noticeable.

Andrea Plant-based Air Purifier ($200): This futuristic-looking plant holder promises to remove toxic gases from your dorm “by enhancing the natural absorptive properties of living plants.” You can get rid of that unsightly, massive air purifier and replace it with this new purifier that looks more like The Jetson’s house plant than a purification system.

iPOD Desk Lamp ($40): This convenient gadget is both a lamp and an iPod dock. To save room, the lamp folds into an egg shape and even has a compartment to store power cords.

Pico Pocket Projector ($230): Now you won’t have to go to the theaters to watch movies on the big screen. This pocket projector is smaller than the average phone and is cheaper than those clunky media projectors. You can also display photos and videos by attaching the projector to your cell phone, PDA or digital camera.

T20 Home Brewer ($130): You may never go back to Starbucks. The T20 Home Brewer is nothing like the $20 coffee maker mom got for you. Using a T-disc, the multipurpose coffee maker can brew a single-cup serving of coffee, hot chocolate, tea and other hot beverages. T-discs, however, are pricier than using ground-up coffee beans. A T-disc can run you a dollar each, while a regular cup of coffee costs only 20 cents.

Via The Huffington Post

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If you are interested in perusing a degree in architecture, you’ll want to go to a school well-known for its architecture program. Not only will you get an amazing education, but the school you attend can open a lot of doors when it’s time to get a job.

If you want to find the absolute best architecture schools for your undergraduate degree, Architectural Record has compiled the list below:

1. Cornell University
2. Syracuse University
3. California State Polytechnic University
4. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
5. University of Texas, Austin
6. Kansas State University
7. University of Oregon
8. Rhode Island School of Design
9. Rice University
10. University of Southern California, Los Angeles

It is important to choose the best school for you and your goals, so do your research and make the right decision for you.

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So, what do you do if you get to college and absolutely cannot stand it? Well, here are your options.

• Reflect. Ask yourself if you’re just having a rough couple of weeks or difficulty adjusting. Most students take 5-7 months to really get their bearings at a university and you may just need to stick it out and try a little harder.

• Join a club, sports team or go Greek. An organization can introduce you to a lot of potential new friends and fill your social calendar to distract you from any feelings of homesickness or loneliness. And while Greek recruitment can be difficult in and of itself, I promise it’s worth it in the end!

• Consider transferring to another school. Maybe it’s not the entire college experience you hate, it might just be your living situation, your campus or your professors. Half way through your second semester, if you are still unhappy, consider researching online about transferring to another school that will accept your credits so you don’t have to start all over.

• Try switching majors. A lot of the time majors are not what students expect. Admissions advisers can provide interest tests to see what major might fit your personality. Also, a lot of times professors can make or break programs, so ask your friends for recommendations before enlisting in a course. If you’re having trouble making friends or don’t know anyone in your major, check out www.ratemyprofessors.com.

• Evaluate your stress level. Maybe you are just overwhelmed by your schoolwork, a job, extracurricular activities and your social calendar. Making some simple, restructuring tweaks to your schedule could revolutionize your time management skills.

• Consider a vocational trade that doesn’t require a college degree but instead specialized training: culinary school, health care, cosmetology, workmanship, etc.

College isn’t for everyone, and there is no shame in that. Just make sure you don’t jump the gun and truly find out why you are so unhappy before making a decision that can effect your entire future.

Most people underestimate how much they will spend on back-to-school supplies.

School supplies may be costing families more than they think. In a voluntary user poll conducted by USAA, people underestimated how much the average American family spends on back-to-school shopping for children in kindergarten through 12th grade by over $100.00. In fact, families will spend an average of $606.00 this year on back-to-school supplies, shoes, clothing and electronics.

But you don’t need to shell out that much this fall. Here are some ideas to help your family save money on back-to-school products. Not only are these tips good for your bank account, many of them are good for the environment too.

1. Pull out last year’s supplies.

Dig out all those school supplies from last year that are still usable. Test pens and markers to make sure they haven’t dried out. Don’t scorn hand-me-downs and put your clothing budget on a diet.

2. Conserve paper.

Put the paper from half-used notebooks in a binder, and encourage students to use both sides when taking notes. Recycle folders from the previous by making new labels, you can encourage your students to get creative and collage new covers for last year’s plastic binders.

3. Invest now, save later.

For items that students won’t outgrow, like backpacks, it’s better to buy a higher quality product. In the long run, you’ll save if you don’t have to replace it at the beginning of each school year. When it comes to buying clothes, don’t be a fashion victim. Instead, buy pieces that students will be able to wear next year if it still fits.

4. Look for used books.

If your school doesn’t provide textbooks, look for used books or consider using a textbook rental service. Chegg has lots of books used in high schools for rent.

5. Make a list before you go to the store.

After you’ve inventoried what your kids already have, take a look at the school’s list of required supplies. If you know what you need before you go to the store, you’ll be less likely to buy unnecessary items.

6. Buy in bulk.

Places like Sam’s Club, Costco and other “big box” retailers often have great back-to-school specials. Just keep in mind how much you really need.

7. Check out Discount School Supply.

For craft supplies, you’ll want to check at DiscountSchoolSupply.com. They partner with companies like Elmers and Crayola to provide significant savings. They also have lots of products for families that home school.

Also Read:

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Zaytuna College is located in Berkeley, California, near the University of California – Berkeley, and will only offer two degree programs this year: Islamic Law and Theology, and Arabic. These degree programs were developed with an ideology of teaching students about Islam, while staying within a Western history and culture context. Another goal of the founders of Zaytuna is to promote a level of understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.

“We feel the college is very important in that it provides a grounding for the community in its own tradition—not in a sense to create a difference with the larger society, but to actually normalize its presence within the larger society, that there is no contradiction between being an American and being Muslim,” said Hatem Bazian, a co-founder of Zaytuna College.

In my opinion, this is a great idea. Many schools in the U.S. have religious origins, so I feel it’s about time that there is a Muslim college, especially in this day and age, when the religion and its people are so grossly misunderstood and judged.

What are your thoughts? Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Why? Please feel free to post your ideas below.

Via BigThink.com

The Adobe Education Store is offering discounts up to 80% off!

As all college students know, a pencil and notebook are not the only school supplies you will need this semester. In fact, the majority of your school supplies will be textbooks and technology products. While textbooks are definitely expensive, thankfully, there are several ways to get around that obstacle. But what about technological software? You used to have to just grit your teeth and bare it, but now Adobe is making buying computer software a cheaper process.

The Adobe Education Store is currently offering students and teachers up to 80 percent off their purchases, slashing expensive software products to fractions of their original prices. For example, the Creative Suite 5 Design Premium Student and Teacher Edition now costs only $449.00, and the basic Photoshop CS5 is a measly $199.00. Rest assured, these are the full versions of the software programs. Also, for a limited time, you do not have to pay any shipping costs when you validate your status as a student or teacher.

Some of the more popular software programs that are being offered for a discount include:

- Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro. “Educators, researchers, and students can communicate and collaborate more effectively and securely with Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro software. Assemble material for curriculum, coursework, or research from different applications into a single, organized PDF Portfolio.”
Right now, this program is being offered for $119.00, instead of the full price of $449.00, through the Education Store.

- Adobe CS5 Design Standard – Student Edition. “Create distinctive designs for magazines, books, newspapers, packaging, marketing collateral, and more. Best-in-class drawing tools, state-of-the art image editing, professional page layout capabilities, and streamlined print processes let you deliver high-impact print design under demanding deadlines, without sacrificing creativity.”
Right now, this program is being offered for $299.00, instead of the full price of $1,100.00, through the Education Store.

- Adobe CS5 Web Premium – Student Edition.“From world-class image-editing capabilities to sophisticated code-handling capabilities to multiplatform deployment options, Web Premium is the comprehensive solution for professional web designers and developers.”
Right now, this program is being offered for $599.00, instead of the full price of $1,799.00, through the Education Store.

To find more great deals and savings on the best Adobe software programs, check out the Adobe Education Store today!

Cleveland

As a newly minted graduate, I frequently get asked why I chose to move all the way from Michigan to New York. The simple answer is there are more writing jobs to be found in New York. For many recent college grads there’s one issue that determines where they live or move: jobs.

I was actually surprisingly pleased to see that the Motor City didn’t come up as first on this list of worst places to live in U.S. from Wallet Pop. The major factors considered include the number of foreclosures, health and fitness of the population, crime rate and unemployment.

Here’s how the nation’s cities ranked:

10. Memphis, Tennessee

Not only does Memphis have a crime rate that’s 90% higher than any other community in Tennessee, it also suffers from corruption among city officials. Not long ago, a city administrator used government funds to purchase big screen TVs.

9. Miami, Florida

Florida may be the sunshine state, but things are not looking so bright in Miami. According to Children’s Health, it’s the second worst city to raise a family. It’s had nearly 40,000 foreclosures and also has a considerable problem with violent crime.

8. Newark, New Jersey

First of all, New Jersey has the most Superfund sites of any other state in the union, meaning its residents are exposed to high levels of environmental pollution. More than a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, and the city is making drastic cuts to public services in an attempt to close a $70 million budget deficit.

7. Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is rapidly becoming the center of the nation’s immigration debate, with a pending law that would allow police officers to ask for immigration papers when stopping someone for any violation. Assertions of discrimination and racial profiling abound. Immigration controversy aside, Phoenix also has one of the 10 worst real estate markets when it comes to foreclosures, and has low per capita income growth.

6. Los Angeles, California

L.A. has the worst air pollution of any city in U.S., coupled with poor public transportation and the most traffic congestion.

5. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City is the unhealthiest in the country, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. The obesity rate is 30.2 percent of the population.

4. Las Vegas, Nevada

Another city hard-hit by the housing bubble bust, Las Vegas had the highest foreclosure rate of any metro area in the U.S. in 2009. Home values have also fallen 50 percent from their peak in 2006.

3. Detroit, Michigan

Detroit has the highest rate of violent crime of any city in the U.S. Foreclosures went up by 35 percent in the first half of this year, and one can purchase a home (or the shell of a home) for as little as $10,000. It has a high level of unemployment, at at rate of 13.7 percent according to Forbes. It also scored poorly as far as fitness of its citizens.

2. Cleveland, Ohio

In 2009, Cleveland lost the largest number of people out of any American city. The city also has high taxes, an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent and the weather is terrible. It has the third highest number of foreclosures.

1. El Centro, California

El Centro has the highest unemployment rate of any city in the Unites States, at 27.5 percent. Field work is the third biggest employer, after government and transportation and utilities. Even the cemetery went into foreclosure last year.

Despite these depressing statistics, each of these cities does have reasons to keep people from leaving. Many of these cities have rich histories and interesting cultural attractions. Although Detroit’s unemployment is high, there is promise for growth in the re-vamped automotive industry and clean energy sector. Similarly, Oklahoma City is a growing metro. It’s a beautiful tree-filled city and most recently became home to the NBA’s Thunder basketball team. A vibrant downtown scene boasts shopping, arts, entertainment and dining, while suburbs like Moore, Edmond and Norman (home to the University of Oklahoma) offer safe, clean and family-focused places to live. And while the housing market isn’t great for current homeowners in Vegas, it’s a steal for new buyers – especially those first-time buyers fresh out of college! I’m sure there are pros to living in any of these cities.

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