Top 21 books on brain health, fitness and training, neuroplasticity and neurogenesis

Top 21 Books on Brain Health, Fitness and Training, Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis

Copyright (c) 2008 SharpBrains

Given the growing media coverage of brain fitness and brain training, we have produced this compilation of the Top 21 Books that help understand these trends, the research behind them, and the implications for all of us.

For your easy browsing, we have categorized them into seven groups:

1) Fascinating books on neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to rewire itself through experience):

— Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves — by Sharon Begley.

— The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science — by Norman Doidge.

— The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind — by Elkhonon Goldberg).

— The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older — by Elkhonon Goldberg.

2) User-friendly scientific books on the brain:

— Best of the Brain from Scientific American: Mind, Matter, and Tomorrow’s Brain by Floyd E. Bloom.

— A User’s Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain — by John J. Ratey.

— In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind — by Eric Kandel.

— Mapping the Mind — by Rita Carter.

— Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind — by V. S. Ramachandran.

— Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: An Updated Guide To Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping — by Robert M. Sapolsky.

3) On how to apply all this to education and learning:

— Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child’s Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth Through Adolescence — by Marian Diamond and Janet Hopson.

— The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning — by James Zull.

— Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner’s Potential — by Eric Jensen.

4) On how to apply cognitive and positive psychology to solve other real-world problems:

— Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier — by Robert Emmons.

— The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person — by Judith Beck.

— Enhancing Trader Performance: Proven Strategies From the Cutting Edge of Trading Psychology — by Brett Steenbarger.

5) With a health/medical angle:

— The Brain Trust Program: A Scientifically Based Three-Part Plan — by Larry McCleary.

— The Memory Prescription: Dr. Gary Small’s 14-Day Plan to Keep Your Brain and Body Young — by Gary Small.

— Brain Longevity: The Breakthrough Medical Program that Improves Your Mind and Memory — by Dharma Singh Khalsa.

6) Reference manual:

— The Dana Guide to Brain Health: A Practical Family Reference from Medical Experts by Floyd E. Bloom, M. Flint Beal, and David J. Kupfer.

7) Good combination of information and activities:

— Building Mental Muscle: Conditioning Exercises for the Six Intelligence Zones — by David Gamon and Allen D. Bragdon.

Enjoy!

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E20-610 certification

E20-610 certification

The E20-610 exam preparation material offered by certmagic is very comprehensive and covers all exam questions that need to be covered to pass the E20-610 exam. Professionals and experts at certmagic are very dedicated and they prepare exam study guides and exam practice tests with great effort.

Exam notes and exam guides prepared by our professionals gives you powerful material that will prepare you for the day of exam. Learning exercises and learning guides on

E20-610 exam will help you to enhance your skills and knowledge.

We guarantee your success in E20-610 practice exams and we assure you that you will be successful after preparing from our study guides, because here we provide you complete study solutions and practice and assessment kits. Exam practice tests provide you a greater opportunity to test your knowledge and skills that you need to be good at to pass the E20-610 exam.

The E20-610 exam study material provided by certmagic is very useful and gives you very useful and interactive material. In our exam notes you will the accurate and up-to-date information .our up-to-date education material will guide you along the path of success.  Certmagic guarantees you success and assures you that you will pass the

E20-610 exam  at the very first attempt.

Exam notes and exam guides prepared by our professionals gives you powerful material that will prepare you for the day of exam. Learning exercises and learning guides on

E20-610 exam will help you to enhance your skills and knowledge.

We guarantee your success in E20-610 practice exams and we assure you that you will be successful after preparing from our study guides, because here we provide you complete study solutions and practice and assessment kits. Exam practice tests provide you a greater opportunity to test your knowledge and skills that you need to be good at to pass the E20-610 exam.

At certmagic we are always striving to provide you the unique study tips that will lead you ultimately to success.

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Nursing & security school, fort lauderdale, margate, coral springs, lauderhill, coconut creek, oakland park, florida

Nursing & Security School, Fort Lauderdale, Margate, Coral Springs, Lauderhill, Coconut Creek, Oakland Park, Florida

Sunshine Career Institute Security Officer Course

A total of 40-hours of instruction for Class «D» license training are required by the State of Florida. However, the law permits this training to be divided into 24-hours of initial training and 16-hours of follow-up instruction.  Application must be at least 18 years of age having no disqualifying criminal history, and be legally allowed to work in the United States. At the Sunshine Career Institute, we offer the initial 24-hours for $75.00, 16- hour for $65.00 or total 40- hour for $140.00 of Class «D» training over a period of two days of classroom instruction after which an exam is given. Passing student will receive a certificate of proof to provide to the state when they apply for D License.

Training includes all information required by the State of Florida for initial license applicants, including: Florida State Statutes Section 493 • Legal Issues and Liabilities • Basic First Aid • Fire Suppression • Emergency Procedures • Crime & Accident Prevention • other required topics. For reapplying applicants, includes all information required by the State of Florida for officer continuation training including the new mandated terrorism awareness training.

In addition to lesson instruction, at Sunshine Career Institute Inc, we ensure that every student’s license application is complete and filled out properly, applications are notarized, and free finger print card and passport photo are provided for our students.

Students who have completed the initial 24 hour program must return within six months to complete the 16-hour continuation training to retain their license at a cost of $65.00. Students passing the final 16 hour exam will be given proof of completion to provide to the State of Florida as required to maintain their Class «D» license.

NOTE: Those with an expired license who completed their initial 24 hour course after October 1994, but never did there 16 hours course, will have there licensed suspended.

Sunshine Career Institute Armed Security Officer Course

Class «G» licensed armed security officers are required to complete 28-hours of classroom and range instruction in accordance with Florida Chapter 493, under the direction of a Class «K» licensed instructor. Course covers all information required by the State of Florida for Class «G» license applicants, including: Florida Statues 493, 775, and 790 • Firearms Safety & Mechanics • Civil Liability & Use of Force Issues • Handgun Marksmanship • Care and Maintenance of Firearms • Other required topics Students that pass the final exam and range qualification will be given proof of completion to provide to the State when they apply for the Class «G» license.

Graduates that are issued a Florida Class «G» license must return once per year to complete annual requalification to retain their license. All Class G license officers must also possess a class D license.

The Sunshine Career Institute offers a special application package consisting of fingerprinting, license photographs, notary services and range fees of $195.00

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Choosing an online college

Choosing An Online College

Advances in the Internet technology improved the delivery of e-learning. Today it is easier to locate an online college rivaling the excellence of prestige traditional universities. Since you have wider options and the quality of the communication technologies have bettered, it is easier to get a degree on the Web by means of distance education methods too. Whatever your educational targets are, reputable online colleges and universities will have the proper program for you. Also, you can complete your undergraduate education or you can decide on taking special certificate courses. Besides, it’s possible to earn an MBA or PhD from online institutions. Since there are many options accessible today, it is a source of disorder for most students. Actually, selecting the proper online college may be difficult sometimes. In fact, there are many factors you should ensure you will get an acceptable degree on the Internet. So in case you are seriously going to pursue an online college education, your first step is to define the best universities and colleges online. Also, you can measure every online college based on three major criteria: Usability, Marketability, and Class Quality. Actually, these are keys you should consider to identify the best online college or university with the perfect program. In case you would like to get an online degree, you should look into the future. You need to ask yourself whether your online degree will bring your career to a much higher level. It’s very significant therefore to select an online college that is worldwide respected as well as has obtained a good reputation. The degree from any well respected university or college will be respected by the employers and the academic community.

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Usdla collaboration, momentum, and pragmatism

Usdla Collaboration, Momentum, and Pragmatism

This week I attended the USDLA (United States Distance Learning Association) conference. I was apprehensive before attending: as a representative of a performance-driven firm, I wasn’t sure if I would get enough value out of the conference to justify the time and money that we were going to spend on the trip.

The break-out sessions and the plenary panel did address topics that I found to be of value, such as:

1. Strategic Academic Planning for New Distance Education Programs that was presented by Richard Hezel and Dawn Anderson

2. On-Line vs. On-Campus Adult Students: Impact of Academics on Family and Work, presented by Ken Hartman

From an educational standpoint, I found the conference to be quite valuable; innumerable pedagogical topics were discussed that ranged from how to keep online students engaged, to how to avoid cheating in distance learning classes.

Generating New Business

The tone of the USDLA conference was difficult to gauge at first—it was clear that a number of people were there to collaborate and find solutions to common distance learning problems, but I wasn’t sure that the conference was the appropriate forum for generating new business.

By the second day of the conference however, I found that most members and attendees view the organization and the conference as a viable means for business networking, in addition to the opportunities for learning collaboration.

Pedagogy and Profitability

In this blog we’ve seen how popular the current trend to promote accountability and transparency in education is. Adapting business-type performance markers to education has been a common theme in the United States for some time now: from NCLB to the battle between the Randi Weingarten and the Klien/Bloomberg administration. One interesting conversation I had at the conference was based on a few simple ideas along these lines: How can we change the educational system in order to create a more competitive workforce? Why is it that education fights the use of technology, rather than embracing it? Why is it so difficult for teachers to engage students in the classroom? Why can’t we create incentives that award teachers for performance?

All of these questions hover around a much larger issue: are we going to demand concrete results from our educational system or not? If we are, what are these results going to be geared towards?

For the most part it is agreed that the function of education is to prepare students for the work place. To that end: shouldn’t courses be developed where marketing studies indicate there is a demand?

I was happy to see that many of the attendees of the USDLA conference hold a similar pragmatic view of the way education should be delivered, and the way results should be measured.

Mission-Driven Results

The mission of the USDLA is as follows:

• To provide national leadership in the field of distance learning

• To advocate and promote the use of distance learning

• To provide current information on distance learning

• To represent the distance learning community before government policy and regulatory bodies

• To serve and support the state, consortium and individual organizations that belong to USDLA

• To provide annual recognition and awards of outstanding achievements in distance learning

• To serve as a catalyst for the formation of partnerships among education, business, healthcare, and government

• To achieve a global leadership role through liaisons with international organizations

• To promote equity and access to lifelong learning through distance learning

• To promote diversity in our organization and its programs

If I had to provide a brief summary of the mission of the USDLA simply from what I saw at the conference, I would say that the purpose of the organization is to improve the quality and reach of distance learning . This can be done by creating a forum for dialogue among individuals that interact with distance learning in their careers or lives.

It makes sense that the organization thrives off of the growth of the industry, and the industry will grow as a result of effective collaboration; in this way it is in the best interest of USDLA to encourage this dialogue, and promote its constituent members.

At Innovation Ads, we’ve been looking at the different ways our business addresses best practices in the enrollment management and enrollment marketing industries. In our industries—as in most other industries—best practices follow sustainable and profitable business; not the reverse. It was reassuring to see that most if not all of the attendees view distance learning and education in general in a pragmatic and holistic light: by improving the process of education, we will improve the best practices of education—we can make schools more efficient, more productive, and more competitive on an international scale.

Summary

I like the approach that the USDLA takes to education; by combining the knowledge and skill set of professionals from varying areas, we can collaborate and find creative solutions to the difficult problems that educators are tasked with solving.

Want to learn more about Enrollment Management? Click here to sign up for the Innovation Ads Enrollment Management Whitepaper.

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So you wanna have a college degree do ya

So You Wanna Have a College Degree Do Ya?…….Part2

In the Part 1 our hapless hero has had pretty much everything that can go wrong go wrong for him on his way out the door and in to work. Once he arrives there….late….things don’t improve and he has now been summoned to the office of the BIG BOSS….so you know this isn’t going to be a good day straight off the bat. Not unless he is going to offer you a promotion, one that rewards you for arriving late for work.

You arrive at the door with the same dread as a convicted felon about to meet his fate and raise a hand that seems to have developed an instant case of tremors and feebly tap on the formidable wood paneled door.

The voice of the BIG BOSS bellows out a call to enter and follows with an admonishment that if its that under-performing salesman then he may as well not even bother. You enter and are brought up short by both the sheer opulence of his hardwood office suite and the continuing tirade that is now questioning the parentage of the aforementioned salesman. Geneology discourse complete, he spins to face you and his face takes on a new set of features. Grimly you think to yourself that the change in his expression wasn’t for the better, nosireee bob, he has gone from sheer displeasure to something that seems akin to raw hatred with a liberal dollop of disdain thrown in.

So, Rogers, he begins in a soft measured tone, the same kind of tone that the snake charmers of Bombay would use to coax customers closer before sending their pickpocket friends through the crowd, it seems we have a time issue here. I take full responsibility and wish to apologize to you personally.

You lean forward, this is too good to be true, beyond your wildest dream. The Big Boss kissing up to you, well you can see why, his policy of being on time clearly is over the top. Its amazing so many people take that sooo seriously, there’s no need for you to have to adhere to it, why the man himself has as much as just said that this doesn’t apply to you.

See, Rogers, he begins again in his silky voice, I had no idea of the complexity of your life and the incredible demands that must be placed on your time outside of work. I don’t know what I was thinking when I hired you, I mean to expect you to just drop everything that you have going on to come in here every morning and work for this company….he is even starting to sound disappointed in himself…then his voice begins to take on an edge.

No, Rogers, I was wrong and way out of line to ever have expected that you would have the slightest idea of what being on time means.

Do you, Rogers?

Oh, of course, I’m sorry. Of course you do. To you it means coming in here 5 to 10 minutes late pretty consistently because we here at ‘Fish 4 Life’ just don’t get it, we don’t understand that you have priorities and we aren’t one of them.
I can clearly see that we are nothing more than a rock in the road of your picture perfect life, an obstacle that you have to overcome

By now the BIG BOSS is shouting, his face a dangerous purple, indicating that the dial is way up in the cardiac lock-up meter, and you’re thinking oh great and you faked your way through the CPR class too. And if he blows a heart valve who is going to have to try to save his sorry butt?? You? Are you kidding? You weren’t even able to help your nine year old son’s gerbil through after it had eaten an entire package of soda crackers in one afternoon and now you’re going to save a human’s life. Oh that’s sitcom level comedy and you realize with a jolt that this isn’t how a sitcom is supposed to go.

You stand to go and he moves to block your path but you are so much quicker than him. As he lumbers to the left you slide further left than reverse and come around him on the right side and beat a hasty retreat down the hall to your office with a distant thud following you down the hall. Once in the your office you blink your beady eyes and then shift them rapidly from side to side looking in vain for some way out. Hastily you throw your personal effects into a cardboard box and clutching it with a demented like fervor you sprint down the steps. Your popped ankle is giving you hell but you are on a mission.

The mission to save your miserable hide, you think as you stumble over the curb staring wide-mouthed across the lot at the ambulance arriving in a Code 3, full siren and lights blazing. Dear God, you’re thinking as you fumble for the keys to your deathtrap, have him hang on long enough that I can get out of this parking lot.

The car motor coughs once and a blue smoke ring issues from the tailpipe. On the next try it catches and with a wheezing effort manages to make it to the gate. Later testimony in court showed how you attempted to slow for the guard to raise the gate, at least in your words although the security camera clearly showed something quite different. It revealed a facial expression that was best described as a combination of fierce determination and maniacal glee, according to one juror who summed it up in the sequestered room in the late stages of your trial.

That, and the fact that the guard was thrown ‘ass over tea-kettle’ some ten yards away both weighed heavily against you in the final decision. The judge leaned conspiratorially towards you and said that if she wasn’t bound by sentencing constraints she would have let you off with a warning. The fact that the guard wasn’t seriously injured, but could have been, results in you having a few extra months of wearing the homing device otherwise known as electronic monitoring. Not that it proved too much of an inconvenience, it wasn’t as though you were going to work everyday, or maybe not any day soon. In fact, once the trial was over it seemed so odd how it all worked out, so destined. The first day of monitoring coincided quite nicely with the day that you withdrew the last few dollars from the account and then on the way back to the house, on an impulse thought what the heck, and stepped into the local watering hole for a fast cool one. Settling into the chair you glance up at the oversized screen thinking that maybe you can watch part of the game and still make it back before the supreme commander discovers your prolonged absence. Well discovers it perhaps, but if you’re quick then you will still have a believable alibi, having run into your cousin down at the bank and spent some time bringing him up to speed on the goings on in your life. Of course you also know that if you have to use the excuse you will have to phone your cuz PDQ to alert him to the supposed conversation.
Right about that time your reverie and sightline is disrupted by a man of rather a small stature who’s voice is well out of proportion to the rest of his body. His tone is just short of sarcastic but his inquiry about who owns the big feet that are blocking his bleeding way to the table is delivered at a full roar. You’re halfway to your feet clenching your fist and thinking about which day of the week you are going to knock him into when he bellows again.
Rogers? Is that really you? Here in this little rat infested dive? What the hey are you doing here and why in hey don’t you buy me a beer? In fact, why don’t you buy everyone in here one? You’re the guy that told me he is making a killing in the fishing industry. You are still trying to splutter a reply to that outrageous claim as he turns to address the room in general. Yes folks, this guy is the only reason that I didn’t fail right out of high school. If I hadn’t have been able to cheat of virtually every math test that we ever had I don’t know where I’d be. Right about now you are mentally chastising yourself for letting him cheat, thinking that if you hadn’t then you sure wouldn’t be suffering through his diatribe now.

‘Loudmouth’ Larry had been a thorn in the side all the way through high school although to be perfectly honest you hadn’t exactly been a player in the popular crowd. So there were more than a few lunch hours that would have been pretty quiet if not for the presence of Larry. Actually there were no quiet hours when Larry was on the scene. His booming voice, so startling out of such a small frame certainly set him apart the same way that a new car is parked well off by itself to keep the fender scuffers at bay. You had almost lost yourself in a bit of a daydream when an eighty decibel question rang in your ear. Rang is the right term to use when describing how your head felt after an animated conversation with Larry.

Oh pardon, um not much, you stammer quickly hoping that he wont ask you again or want to repeat anything that you say to pretty much anyone that will listen. Well Rogers,
let me tell you how I am. Anyone else would think it odd that he would say anything without being asked, but they didn’t know Larry. I‘ve got the world by the balls Rogers and its all on account of one little thing. His voice actually dropped now, down to a stage whisper for Larry. See Rogers, its that one little thing that sets us apart, the thing that puts you on the road to mediocrity and me on the road to fame and fortune.

Its because I went to college and you didn’t. Of course he bellows this at a full volume rip so that the entire place can hear it. Remember how I told you that it was so important and you told me that you didn’t have the money. And let me go one step further now too and make a gigantic mental leap and predict that you don’t have the money now either.
You’re starting to think that maybe Larry does have X-ray vision glasses like you could get out of the backs of old comic books and that he can actually see into your pockets and that he knows that you are broke. So as it turns out, Rogers, today is your lucky day, let me show you how you too can look like me. Although that isn’t exactly a closing sales pitch in your mind there is no denying that his leather jacket isn’t cheap and nor is the rest of his clothing or the jewelry that he is flashing about. He follows your eyes and smiles. You can have all this too he intones, but first we have to get you an education.

Whoa, whoa, hold it right there you protest. You are not, repeat not, going back to school. Not ever again. Period. Yes, yes, he nods, there is another way………to be cont’d

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How parents can help their child study

How Parents Can Help Their Child Study

If you have children, particularly teenage children, then you likely already know how difficult it can be to get them to actually sit down and study or do homework. They can think of every excuse in the book, and list a million other things that have to be done now, rather than their homework. It can be an all out battle at your home just trying to convince your teen to study, but there are some things you do that will make this easier for you. You will have to learn to be firm, and be willing to follow thru with what you say, but you can get past the daily homework battles if you wish to do so.

Start talking to your teen about school in the summer, at least two weeks or so before the first day. Try not to lecture to your child, as they will only tune you out, but you do need to talk with them about the upcoming year, and your expectations of them academically. You may even want to sit down with them and write out some goals for the upcoming year as well. Address any thoughts or concerns that your child may have about the new school year, and let them know that you are there to help and support them as needed.

Let your teen help you design a space in your home for them to use for homework and studying. This needs to be done before the first day of school. Stock the area with basic needs, pens, paper, pencils, etc. Again, let your teen help in picking out supplies and choosing their space. Just make certain that they have a quiet area free of distractions, so that they can focus on their studies.

Sit down with your teen and setup an after school schedule for them. For example, if your teen gets home at 3:30pm, allow them 30 minutes after they come home for snacks, phone calls, etc., and then make it a rule that they start their homework by 4pm. Give them adequate time to complete their homework and do anything around the house that you give them as chores, and then allow the rest of the evening to be free time, until they go to bed. You need to be willing to give and take when it comes to this, don’t dictate every single thing to your teen. Make certain that homework comes before chores, free time, etc.

Many teenagers are busy and involved in many extracurricular activities outside of school. You can’t restrict them too much, but you should limit the amount of time they spend in these areas, so that they do have sufficient time to do homework, study, and get a full night’s rest. If your teen becomes overwhelmed, grades will start to fall, and then you will have a problem on your hands.

If your teen has problems with a particular subject, offer to help as needed, or find someone else who can help if you are unable to. You may even want to consider allowing your teen to participate in programs offered in the afternoons after school is over, which is often a great way to get some extra help on particularly difficult subjects, such as math. You will need to determine if they have fallen behind because they don’t understand, or if they have fallen behind because they aren’t doing the work and putting forth their best effort. If the latter is true, then it may be time to start talking about the potential consequence of their actions, losing privileges, etc. You may have to cut out all extra activities until the grades improve. No one wants to take drastic measures as a parent, but in some cases, that is the only way to get your child’s attention and let them know that you are serious about them sticking to the rules.

No one ever said that raising children would be an easy task, but you shouldn’t have to fight everyday just to get homework done. Be patient, set the rules and the consequences for breaking them, and then follow thru as needed.

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Improving the future of single moms: obama scholarships for moms

Improving the Future of Single Moms: Obama Scholarships for Moms

Even though the US economy is going through some hard times, there are some bright spots that should encourage you to look to the future. The government is encouraging women to go back to college by offering Obama scholarships for moms. The opportunity is available for all mothers to get a quality education that will benefit their families and future employers. Federal Pell Grants make Obama scholarships possible. The Obama administration made some changes to Pell Grants to put emphasis on getting moms to go back to school. Pell Grants worth more than $5,000 can now be awarded. That’s an increase of more than $1,000 over the previous maximum for Pell Grants. Because these grants are meant to help low-income students, that means many single mothers are eligible. That’s why the government is encouraging moms to go back to school. Having money to go to college could benefit both stay-at-home mothers and working mothers. There are other benefits to these grants to add extra incentive for moms to go to school. Large colleges and universities obviously attract many students. If this wasn’t a feasible option for a single mom, it may have prevented her from going to college. The Pell Grants take this common factor into account. Making it possible for working mothers to go to college part-time and for stay-at-home moms to take courses online is what these special grants do. You can study anything: nursing, business, education and more. The important part is that now single moms have more opportunity to do so. If you’re a single mom, an Obama Scholarship may be the break you need to start on a different path. The steps to look into applying for a scholarship are quite simple. The first step is to go online and fill out the application for federal student aid, or FAFSA. The application is free, and there’s a lot of information about aid that is available to you. Also, remember that the American Opportunity Tax Credit program says that the first $4,000 to pay for your education is free. Consider this and the possibility of getting a grant when you’re weighing your options. Single, working moms and stay-at-home moms have a tremendous opportunity. They can now advance their education by attending college. Government grants and free opportunities are great chances for mothers to not only care for their families but also to increase the money they can earn as vital members of the workforce. Obama scholarships are meant to give women the opportunity to improve their own future and that of their family.

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