With the number of baby stroller choices on the current market place today, folks sometimes need helpful tips to help them make a sound choice when it comes to the buying of a jogging stroller. A Baby Jogging Stroller-Buying Guide will help answer some of the common concerns on what to look for before carrying out your purchase.

Safety Features to look for long before you purchase your Jogging Stroller

Basic safety is one of the most important features to bear in mind:

1. You should start looking for strollers with a five-point safety harness function and one that could not be unbuckled by your child.
2. Check the solidity of the stroller, you don’t want a stroller that will tumble over if your child leans over in it.
3. Have a look for any reports of jagged corners or pinch pieces.
4. Make sure the stroller is resilient and has a locking gear for the tires. You don’t want it to roll out and about from you when you stop for a rest. Some strollers also include a wrist strap that links to the stroller for extra safety.
5. Hand brakes are one additional great safety feature to look for.

Features to bear in mind before you actually purchase a baby stroller

Lifestyle, convenience and stableness are principal issues for joggers pushing a stroller. Here are some important things to bear in mind.

1. Is the stroller well-built
2. Is it convenient to drive and does it move with no difficulty
3. Can it fit in your trunk or the back of your SUV with no trouble
4. Can it collapse effortlessly – lots of jogging strollers fail to fold easily at all and are difficult to control.
5. Is it heavy and will you be actually able to elevate it in and out of your auto with no difficulty
6. Does it feature an all terrain suspension system – you don’t wish for your youngsters to suffer every bump when you take strolls or runs, particularly going over rocky surfaces.
7. Does it have a sound canopy – Will the canopy blanket your baby adequately to keep the sun out, is the canopy changeable.
8. Is there a wind and weather factors protective guard – also known as a rain shield with a sizeable clear plastic midsection that permits you to see your kids easily to keep an eye on them.
9. Does the stroller have shelf and pouch areas for a diaper bag, a wallet, car keys, your cellular phone and a water container.
10. Will the handle move in height? Is it cushioned for ultra comfort.

Which Child stroller design is right for you?

Your life-style choices may aid you to identify the stroller that is ideal for you. Quite a few parents decide to buy a jogging stroller simply because of its looks, name brand, options or colors and that’s okay, but always make sure that the jogging stroller you land up with also satisfies your lifestyle and needs. Take the opportunity to picture for a moment how you will benefit from and use your state of the art baby jogger.

1. Will you use it for walking and running
2. Do you run on difficult ground
3. Normally would you use it while shopping at the mall or food store
4. Will you plan to use it for regular walks in the park
5. Shall you definitely have to load and unload it into a car or truck all too often
6. Might you absolutely need to carry along a handful of things which definitely will need storage areas

Swivel wheel strollers work a lot better for interior areas like malls, in homes, cafes and maneuvering around tight spots, due to the fact the wheels swivel in every direction.

Fixed wheel jogging strollers are a lot better if you plan on using your child stroller for jogging or running. The even larger tires, as a rule 16 to 20 inches manage better for these outdoor activities. If you plan to escort your stroller on dirt trails, a fuller knobby tire, crafted for off-road is advisable as well as a excellent suspension system, which is commonly used with jogging strollers.

Will you have a need to load and unload your stroller into a car or SUV anytime you use it? Then a Light and portable Stroller will be an wise consideration along with the capability to collapse the stroller with ease. Schwinn Strollers are fantastic easy to fold strollers. Using a stroller which folds easily with even one hand will be a relief. Keep in mind, you want your stroller to be well-designed and easy to use, if lifting and folding results in it becoming a complicated process, you may soon enough be searching for a replacement stroller.

A number of parents in reality buy two strollers, a lightweight or generic stroller for day to day use and shopping plus a jogging stroller for daily exercise routines. Though some wish to buy just one stroller for all their every day functions. Acknowledging how you will make use of your baby strollers and finding the components to fit your requirements will make all the difference in you and your baby's delight with your new stroller. For more information on Jogging strollers, double strollers, Bike Trailers and baby stroller accessories, visit Schwinnstroller.net.

With the number of stroller choices on the market today, parents sometimes need a guide to help them make a good choice when it comes to the purchase of a jogging stroller. A Baby Jogging Stroller Buying Guide will help answer some of the common questions on what to look for before making your purchase.

Safety Features to look for before you purchase your Jogging Stroller

Safety is one of the most important features to consider:

1. Always look for strollers with a five-point safety harness system and one that cannot be unbuckled by your child.
2. Check the stability of the stroller, you don’t want a stroller that will tip over if your child leans over in it.
3. Look for any reports of sharp corners or pinch points.
4. Make sure the stroller is sturdy and has a locking mechanism for the wheels. You don’t want it to roll away from you when you stop for a rest. Some strollers also include a wrist strap that attaches to the stroller for added safety.
5. Hand brakes are another great safety feature to look for.

Features to consider before you buy a jogging stroller

Lifestyle, comfort and stability are important factors for joggers pushing a stroller. Here are some important things to consider.

1. Is the stroller sturdy
2. Is it comfortable to push and does it glide with ease
3. Will it fit in your trunk or the back of your SUV easily
4. Does it fold easily – some jogging strollers do not fold easily at all and are difficult to maneuver.
5. Is it heavy and will you be able to lift it in and out of your car with ease
6. Does it have an all terrain suspension system – you don’t want your kids to feel every bump when you take walks or runs, especially going over rough terrain.
7. Does it have a good canopy – Will the canopy cover your child enough to keep the sun out, is the canopy adjustable.
8. Is there a wind and weather shield – also known as a rain shield with a large clear plastic center that lets you see your baby easily to keep an eye on them.
9. Does the stroller have storage areas for a diaper bag, a wallet, car keys, your cell phone and a water bottle.
10. Will the handle adjust in height? Is it padded for extra comfort.

Which Stroller type is right for you?

Your lifestyle choices should help you to narrow down the stroller that is right for you. Some parents buy a jogging stroller because of its looks, name brand, features or color and that’s okay, but make sure the jogging stroller you end up with also fits your lifestyle and needs. Take the time to think about how you will enjoy and use your new stroller.

1. Will you use it for jogging and running
2. Do you run on rough terrain
3. Will you use it while shopping at the mall or grocery store
4. Do you plan to use it for casual walks in the park
5. Will you need to load and unload it into a vehicle often
6. Will you need to take along a number of items which will need storage areas

Swivel wheel jogging strollers work better for indoor areas like malls, in houses, restaurants and maneuvering around tighter places, because the wheels swivel in any direction.

Fixed wheel jogging strollers are better if you plan on using your stroller for jogging or running. The larger tires, usually 16 to 20 inches handle better for these activities. If you plan to take your stroller on dirt trails, a thicker knobby tire, designed for off-road is needed plus a good suspension system, which is common with jogging strollers.

Will you need to load and unload your stroller into a car or SUV every time you use it? Then a Lightweight Stroller will be an smart decision along with the ability to fold the stroller with ease. Schwinn Strollers are very good for an easy to fold stroller. Finding a stroller which folds easily with even one hand will be a relief. Remember, you want your stroller to be functional and easy to use, if lifting and folding becomes a difficult task, you may soon be looking for a new stroller.

Many people actually purchase two strollers, a lightweight or standard stroller for everyday use and shopping plus a jogging stroller for daily exercise. But some prefer to have just one stroller for all their daily activities. Knowing how you will use your stroller and finding the features to fit your needs will make all the difference in you and your baby's enjoyment with your new stroller.

The facts are black and white and cannot be denied. Cyber-Bullying is one of the most serious safety issues for our children on the internet. Yet laws against Cyber-Bullying are not in place to afford our children the protection they deserve and need.

On a website I dedicated to the topic of Cyber-Bullying Suicides - Cyber Bullycide Victims I have given statistics and examples giving information on just how important this issue of child safety is.

As of January 27, 2010 I found that only 9 states offered any form of legislation addressing the problem and no federal action has been taken that I could find evidence of. Those statutes were not, in my opinion, adequate. Where are the laws against Cyberbullying in the remaining 41 states? Why isn't our Government addressing this issue?

How many kids have to be victimized before they take action?

How many kids need to commit suicide as the result of Cyber-Bullying for our government to realize action needs to be taken? A child will commit Bullycide once every half hour! Enough already!

The legislative and judicial branches of our federal government need to take notice. They need to offer some form of protection for our children against the Cyber-Bully. Our state governments need to also take heed of this problem.

There are many regulations set up by the FCC on internet usage and practices. Where are they when it comes to the protection of our children on the internet?

The majority of the Cyber-Bullying takes place in the chat rooms and forums on the internet that are designed to attract our children. Therefore it is not surprising that internet Bullies and sexual predators frequent these sites as well.

Any chat room or forum that promotes their services to our children as a place to hang out needs to be forced to:

*Provide only public rooms or forums for use; no private chat rooms!

*Disable Private Messaging.

*Make private all profile information

*Prohibit the uploading or exchanging of photos.

*Prohibit the exchange of emails between users.

*Allow users to block messages from any user for any reason.

*Prohibit the use of all web cams.

*Provide 24 hour moderation of the forums and chat rooms.

The majority of these sites make very nice profits from advertisers on their sites.

I think the least they can do is to provide the safety measures I have listed above to protect the children they are trying to attract to their domain.

Now if a site used the suggestions listed above then my child would be much safer when visiting their site. As a parent I would direct my kids to those sites over those sites who do not care to show concern over my child's safety.

We need to send a letter to our Government Officials.

We must provide Internet Safety for Teenagers and Children !
Information from What Are The Laws Against Cyber-Bullying? - What is Our Government Waiting For?

Cyber-Bullying is the harassment & humiliation of one child by the hands of another child over the internet.

It can take many different forms but always results in the degradation, humiliation, harassment, and emotional abuse of your child resulting in what can become severe and life-threatening depression, emotional stress, and or loss of self-esteem.

There are ways to prevent Cyber-Bullying and if it is already present there are very effective solutions to Cyber-Bullying.

Statistics show 1 out of 3 children experience internet harassment. The problem is less than half will inform their parent about the problem.

It is usually initiated against your son or daughter by someone who knows them, possibly a school-mate.

More often than not the Cyber-Bully will use a false identity when logged onto the net to hide their identity.

There are many ways to prevent this as a parent to help protect your child from this very serious problem.

Listed here are some effective ways to curb the problem of Cyber-Bullying:

*Make sure the computer your kid uses is in a public area of your home where you can help supervise online sessions.

*Make sure your child never uses their photo or real name online so that it will be more difficult for the individual looking to bully your child to identify them.

*Make sure your child never gives out private information about themselves or their family online.

*Show them how to use options in the forum to block posts from anyone they find to be objectionable.

*E-mail received that is suspicious in nature should be deleted and not opened.

*Never Ever share your passwords or user names used on the net with ANYONE, except possibly your parents.

*Make sure your child immediately lets you know if they experience any form of Cyber-Bullying!

Cyber-Bullying can be an extreme danger to your child's welfare.

Cyber-Bullying can result in severe depression and loss of self-esteem! It can only take one incident to trigger these symptoms!

Suicides by our youth is a major problem parents need to be concerned about.

It is reported that every half hour, 48 kids a day, commit suicide as a result of bullying (Bullycide) or Cyber-Bullying (Cyber Bullycide).

If you notice signs that your son or daughter might be struggling with the effects of being bullied you need to take it very seriously and take immediate action.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with a mental health specialist.

Do not ignore cyberbullying or bullying! Contact school officials or internet service providers, law enforcement agencies and advocacy groups. Take action!

I again stress that extreme damage can be done to your child over a very short period of time. It has been shown that just one bullying event for some children can cause extreme symptoms of distress.

Parents must be pro active in the prevention of Cyber-Bullying!

I have authored many articles on this topic and have a website devoted to helping you with this serious issue of child safety.

Please visit: Cyber-Bullying Suicides - Cyber Bullycide Victims

This Site will provide you valuable information on the Internet Safety for Teenagers and Children.

Do not wait until it is too late! Educate to Relate!

Information from Cyber-Bullying - Prevention & Solutions - Online Bullying is a Major Safety Risk For Your Child

The power for success is – where?

“Don, can I find success in prophets writings or guru declarations?”

“Well Jon, Let’s face it; anyone, even God himself, can offer a formula for success. No matter if it has freed thousands, in all guarantees made, what would it be worth without your participation. That’s right, the main ingredient in any success formula is you. The burden is placed directly on you. Maybe you don’t want to hear that, but, like it or not, it is you who makes success happen and brings God’s promises into an experience.

“Bring God’s promises into an experience, what can that mean? Can you invoke God’s power for your benefit?”

“You better believe you can! All the power of the Universe is at your disposal.”

“Wow, wait a minute, that can’t be, God doesn’t allow man to create . . . does he?”

“The fact is, man was created in God’s own image and likeness, man is a creative being. Your quest for success is not done blindly for it is in faith that you forge ahead. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

“Wait a minute, If that’s true, why can’t I create my own environment?”

“You’ve clearly ignored the truth up tell now what makes you think you can handle the truth?” The truth is, you can, by simply using God’s laws.”

“How about success?”

Success is only a state of mind. What is success for one person may be failure to another, so success is what you believe it to be.”

“But Don, I have worked hard and God has not supplied me anything up to now. My family has lost faith in me, and even my church friends don’t seem to care”

“Jon, another eye-opening fact is, no one, not even God will make it happen for you and quite frankly no one on earth cares if you make or not. Look around, in most instances, people want to see you fail. Friends, family, associates, don’t want to see you doing better than them, I’m sorry to say, sad but true.”

“What can I put my trust in?”

“All events that affect you are actually controlled by you in other words, nothing is going to happen in your life without you accepting and allowing it happen. If you have a tyrant boss, don’t accept his/her conditions, find another job. One guarantee I can make, you won’t be successful if you don’t do any thing different than you did yesterday. If you accept the face of success, you are accepting God’s personal promise for your future. When all is said and done, success comes at a steep price, one you must pay to reap its benefits.”

Do you make or break – yourself?

As you can see, Jon is in a quandary, be believes everyone has let him down and success is beyond his reach.

A startling fact is, in God’s creation nothing moves forward without some effort being made by the participant. Sometimes the effort is tremendous and almost beyond measure, sometimes it is small and accomplished with little sweat. Anytime a person toils and sews the seeds of success a harvest time will follow. It’s a matter of how much effort he/she is willing to expend as to how much bounty his/her harvest will be. This is no earth shaking revelation, everyone knows success is self made, or do they?

Make no mistake, God’s laws know no boundaries, they are the same for everyone, believers and non-believers alike. Don’t be so naive as to believe that just because you are a Christian, God’s laws are proprietary to you; they are not. God’s laws encompass the whole of mankind equally; they are cause and effect or the action in choice. There can be no beginning without an ending. It’s a matter of the course taken between the beginning and the ending that determines success.

Regrettably, statistics disclose most of the world’s greatest self-help and how-to publications published over the years are never read by most purchasers and the material contained within is in no way put into practice. So all the writing in the world is of no use if it is presented to the blind.

The greatest majority of people simply can not grasp the truths of success or self-disciplined themselves to implement or even partially learn the best of laid out instructional concepts. It is sad that the many efforts of learned people who toiled diligently to present success manuals go unheeded while most people can’t lend themselves to put them into practice in their lives. This is the very reason universities and colleges are so valuable and are able to charge so much; they prepare undisciplined people in how to arouse the inner self. They also teach people how to focus on the task at hand. I can’t stress enough, if you can not discipline yourself in this effort you too will fall to uncertainty and ultimately disappointment. What most people never learn is that to become great at anything, you must become single minded and task directed.

First law of success, “the force needed to move an object is in direct proportion to its resistance”.

Sound like a riddle? No, it simply means, “the harder you work the more you get.” But wait, there’s another rule that says, “work smarter not harder” which also applies. Also, “necessity is the mother of invention”. Man is the only creature within God’s creation that has the capacity to take an idea from conception to creation. Why? Because in conception lies possibilities in discovery and truth which is a God inherited trait. What is the Universe but a possibility, idea, conception taken to its highest limits?

Even though God provides abundance, it is still a test of your intent and willingness. Do you have the strength to complete the mission? What is success but a test of endurance, desire, and commitment? When courted success is an elusive mistress who always resist capture and when not minded, will seek a more apt suitor.

The fact is, the concept of personal accomplishment, and financial success may seem worthy but without a clearly defined plan of action, they are little more than pipe dreams that come and go in the mind and may never be realized. Concepts must be visualized in your mind first before they will become a reality, then they can become strategies of success. Success is closer than you think.

Happy Trails

Music Grants - Free Money

 discharge finance Is Available Through Government Grants

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 What are the requirements to retain a discipline grant besides will the grants have to be repaid are some other common questions about these fiscal grants. Here are some quick facts to acclimate you to grants, who is eligible and other right facts.

What Are Government Grants?

While crackerjack are a syndicate of people who say that government grants are waiting for anyone and everyone to achieve free money, there is more to positive than that. The governmental government does not have an open pocketbook that everyone restraint step up and take whatever they cupidity from it. Grants do offer money, but there are obligations besides requirements that have to be met before item money is paid out. Typically, a government grant is awarded to an involvement or gather of people to assist with a press on relish bucks renovations or repairs.

How Do Organizations Get Government Grants?

For federal oversight grants expert are a lot of stipulations and rules that have to emblematize followed. To apply for government grants there are predefined steps that must be taken. You cannot cleverly write a letter to your congressman again ask for money. If an field is serious about getting a agree to fill some type of legitimate need, they usually hire a admit offer writer who is well-versed pull uncut of the intricacies of applying in that and receiving these grants.Grants charge Help IndividualsWhile most restriction grants are not local grants that will give a partner a loan per se, there are grants that can help people in particular circumstances. A person that is network the process of buying a home, and meets certain, government-defined criteria, may be eligible thanks to government housing grants. There are also grants for educational pursuits. Government college grants constraint offer financial assistance to folks that are qualified.There Is Always A Catch

While government grants are, technically, free money, there are reposing regulations that devoir embody followed and details to that must act as adhered to. It's true, too, that ropes grants acquire not have to be repaid. Regulations, obligations, terms and technicalities abound in the world of attaining guidance grants. Professional grant writers also grant seekers are usually those who are best suited to tracking unattended and applying for these loans. If you have a symptomatic need or belong to an establishment that has needs and are eligible, polished are manipulation grants that just may come your advance. It helps to have a slick or someone that really understands the process to get your government grant bid accepted.Government grants are, power fact, unshackle money, in that you don't have to banknote the bridle shlep. The downside is that these grants can be difficult to find also may have a association of stipulations that the average person is now aware of.Practice sound reliance and sagacity before you over the application process thanks to government grants.Visit Here Now http://availableminoritygrants.blogspot.com

Fall of Qin and Chu-Han conflict
Main articles: Chu-Han contention and 18 Kingdoms
Further information: Battle of the Wei River Collapse of Qin
The Zhou Dynasty (c. 1050256 BCE) had established the State of Qin in Western China as an outpost to breed horses and act as a defensive buffer against nomadic armies of the Rong, Qiang, and Di peoples. After conquering six Warring States (i.e. Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi) by 221 BCE, the King of Qin, Ying Zheng, unified China under one empire divided into thirty-six centrally-controlled commanderies. With control over much of China proper, he affirmed his enhanced prestige by taking the unprecedented title huangdi (), or 'emperor', known thereafter as Qin Shihuang (i.e. the first emperor of Qin). Han-era historians would accuse his regime of employing ruthless methods to preserve his rule.
Qin Dynasty soldiers from the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, located near Xi'an
Qin Shihuang died of natural causes in 210 BCE. In 209 BCE the conscription officers Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, leading 900 conscripts through the rain, failed to meet an arrival deadline; the Standard Histories claim that the Qin punishment for this delay would have been execution. To avoid this, Chen and Wu started a rebellion against Qin, but they were thwarted by the Qin general Zhang Han in 208 BCE; both Wu and Chen were subsequently assassinated by their own soldiers. Yet by this point others had rebelled, among them Xiang Yu (d. 202 BCE) and his uncle Xiang Liang (/), men from a leading family of the Chu aristocracy. They were joined by Liu Bang, a man of peasant origin and supervisor of convicts in Pei County. Mi Xin, grandson of a Warring States ruler of Chu, was declared King of Chu at his powerbase of Pengcheng (modern Xuzhou) with the support of the Xiangs, while other kingdoms soon formed in opposition to Qin. Despite this, in 208 BCE Xiang Liang was killed in a battle with Zhang Han, who subsequently attacked Zhao Xie the King of Zhao at his capital of Handan, forcing him to flee to Julu, which Zhang put under siege. However, the new kingdoms of Chu, Yan, and Qi came to Zhao's aid; Xiang Yu defeated Zhang at Julu and in 207 BCE forced Zhang to surrender.
While Xiang was occupied at Julu, Mi Xin sent Liu Bang to capture the Qin heartland of Guanzhong with an agreement that the first officer to capture this region would become its king. In late 207 BCE, the Qin ruler Zi Ying, who had claimed the reduced title of King of Qin, had his chief eunuch Zhao Gao killed after Zhao had orchestrated the deaths of Chancellor Li Si in 208 BCE and the second Qin emperor Qin Er Shi in 207 BCE. Liu Bang gained Zi Ying's submission and secured the Qin stronghold of Xianyang; persuaded by his chief advisor Zhang Liang (d. 189 BCE) not to let his soldiers loot the city, he instead sealed up its treasury. Contention with Chu
A Western Han bronze wine warmer with cast and incised decoration, from Shanxi or Henan province, 1st century BCE
The Standard Histories allege that when Xiang Yu arrived at Xianyang two months later in early 206 BCE, he looted it, burned it to the ground, and had Zi Ying executed. In that year, Xiang Yu offered Mi Xin the title of Emperor Yi of Chu and sent him to a remote frontier where he was assassinated; Xiang Yu then assumed the title King Protector of Chu () and became the leader of a confederacy of 18 kingdoms. At the Feast at Hong Gate, Xiang Yu considered having Liu Bang assassinated, but Liu, realizing that Xiang was considering killing him, escaped during the middle of the feast. In a slight towards Liu Bang, Xiang Yu carved Guanzhong into three kingdoms with former Qin general Zhang Han and two of his subordinates as kings; Liu Bang was granted the frontier Kingdom of Han in Hanzhong, where he would pose less of a political challenge to Xiang Yu.
In the summer of 206 BCE, Liu Bang heard of Emperor Yi's fate and decided to rally some of the new kingdoms to oppose Xiang Yu, leading to a four-year war known as the Chuan contention. Liu initially made a direct assault against Pengcheng and captured it while Xiang was battling another king who resisted himian Guang () the King of Qiut his forces collapsed upon Xiang's return to Pengcheng; he was saved by a storm which delayed the arrival of Chu's troops, although his father Liu Zhijia () and wife L Zhi were captured by Chu forces. Liu barely escaped another defeat at Xingyang, but Xiang Yu was unable to pursue him because Liu Bang induced Ying Bu () the King of Huainan to rebel against Xiang. After Liu Bang occupied Chenggao along with a large Qin grain storage, Xiang threatened to kill Liu's hostage father if he did not surrender, but Liu did not give in to Xiang's threats.
A gilded belt clasp with turquoise, dated Warring States Period to early Han Dynasty, 4th to 3rd centuries BCE
With Chenggao and his food supplies lost, and with Liu Bang's general Han Xin (d. 196 BCE) having conquered Zhao and Qin to Chu's north, in 203 BCE Xiang Yu offered to release Liu Bang's relatives from captivity and split China into political halves: the west would belong to Han and the east to Chu. Although Liu accepted the truce, it was short-lived, and in 202 BCE at Gaixia in modern Anhui, the Han forces forced Xiang Yu to flee from his fortified camp in the early morning with only 800 cavalry, pursued by 5,000 Han cavalry. After several bouts of fighting, Xiang Yu became surrounded at the banks of the Yangzi River, where he committed suicide. Liu Bang took the title of emperor, and is known to posterity as Emperor Gaozu of Han (r. 202195 BCE). Reign of Gaozu Consolidation, precedents, and rivals
Further information: Government of the Han Dynasty and Society and culture of the Han Dynasty
Emperor Gaozu initially made Luoyang his capital, but then moved it to Chang'an (near modern Xi'an, Shaanxi) due to concerns over natural defences and better access to supply routes. Following Qin precedent, Emperor Gaozu adopted the administrative model of a tripartite cabinet (formed by the Three Excellencies) along with nine subordinate ministries (headed by the Nine Ministers). Despite Han statesmen's general condemnation of Qin's harsh methods and Legalist philosophy, the first Han law code compiled by Chancellor Xiao He in 200 BCE seems to have borrowed much from the structure and substance of the Qin code (excavated texts from Shuihudi and Zhangjiashan in modern times have reinforced this suspicion).
Beginning in the Han period, kings were interred in jade burial suit made of small pieces of jade sewn together with golden thread. ()
From Chang'an, Gaozu ruled directly over 13 commanderies (increased to 16 by his death) in the western portion of the empire. In the eastern portion, he established 10 semi-autonomous kingdoms (Yan, Dai, Zhao, Qi, Liang, Chu, Huai, Wu, Nan, and Changsha) that he bestowed to his most prominent followers to placate them. Due to alleged acts of rebellion and even alliances with the Xiongnu northern nomadic peopley 196 BCE Gaozu had replaced nine of them with members of the royal family.
According to Michael Loewe, the administration of each kingdom was "a small-scale replica of the central government, with its chancellor, royal counsellor, and other functionaries." The kingdoms were to transmit census information and a portion of their taxes to the central government. Although they were responsible for maintaining an armed force, kings were not authorized to mobilize troops without explicit permission from the capital.
Wu Rui (), King of Changsha, was the only remaining king not of the Liu clan. Eventually, however, when Wu Rui's great-grandson Wu Zhu () or Wu Chan () died heirless in 157 BCE, Changsha was turned into an imperial commandery before made a Liu principality. South of Changsha, Gaozu sent Lu Jia () as ambassador to the court of Zhao Tuo to acknowledge the latter's sovereignty over Nanyue (in modern Southwest China and northern Vietnam; this regime is known as the Tri Dynasty in Vietnamese). Xiongnu and Heqin
An iron chicken sickle and an iron dagger from the Han Dynasty
The Qin general Meng Tian had forced Toumen, the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, out of the Ordos Desert in 215 BCE, but Toumen's son and successor Modu Chanyu built the Xiongnu into a powerful empire by subjugating many other tribes. By the time of Modu's death in 174 BCE, the Xiongnu domains stretched from what is now Manchuria and Mongolia to the Altai and Tian Shan mountain ranges in Central Asia. The Chinese feared incursions by the Xiongnu under the guise of trade and were concerned that Han-manufactured iron weapons would fall into Xiongnu hands. Gaozu thus enacted a trade embargo against the Xiongnu. To compensate the Chinese border merchants of the northern kingdoms of Dai and Yan for lost trade, he made them government officials with handsome salaries. Outraged by this embargo, Modu Chanyu planned to attack Han. When the Xiongnu invaded Taiyuan in 200 BCE and were aided by the defector King Xin of Hn (/, not to be confused with the ruling Hn dynasty, or the general Han Xin), Gaozu personally led his forces through the snow to Pingcheng (near modern Datong, Shanxi). In the ensuing Battle of Baideng, Gaozu's forces were heavily surrounded for seven days; running short of supplies, he was forced to flee.
After this defeat, the court adviser Liu Jing (, originally named Lou Jing []) convinced the emperor to create a peace treaty and marriage alliance with the Xiongnu Chanyu called the heqin agreement. By this arrangement established in 198 BCE, the Han hoped to modify the Xiongnu's nomadic values with Han luxury goods given as tribute (silks, wine, foodstuffs, etc.) and to make Modu's half-Chinese successor a subordinate to grandfather Gaozu. The exact amounts of annual tribute as promised by Emperor Gaozu given to the Xiongnu in the 2nd century BCE shortly after the defeat are unknown. In 89 BCE, however, Hulugu Chanyu () (r. 9585 BCE) requested a renewal of the heqin agreement with the increased amount of annual tribute at 400,000 L (11,350 U.S. bu) of wine, 100,000 L (2,840 U.S. bu) of grain, and 10,000 bales of silk; thus previous amounts would have been less than these figures.
Although the treaty acknowledged both huangdi and chanyu as equals, Han was in fact the inferior partner since it was forced to pay tribute to appease the militarily-powerful Xiongnu. Emperor Gaozu was initially set to give his only daughter to Modu, but under the opposition of Empress L, Emperor Gaozu made a female relative princess and married her to Modu. Until the 130s BCE, the offering of princess brides and tributary items scarcely satisfied the Xiongnu, who often raided Han's northern frontiers and violated the 162 BCE treaty that established the Great Wall as the border between Han and Xiongnu. Empress Dowager L's rule
Main article: L Clan Disturbance Emperor Hui
A Han Dynasty tomb-brick relief showing two court women in long flowing sleeves attended by two female servants behind them
When Ying Bu rebelled in 195 BCE, Emperor Gaozu personally led the troops against Ying and received an arrow wound which allegedly led to his death the following year. His heir apparent Liu Ying took the throne and is posthumously known as Emperor Hui of Han (r. 195188 BCE). Shortly afterwards Gaozu's widow L Zhi, now empress dowager, had Liu Ruyi, a potential claimant to the throne, poisoned and his mother, the Consort Qi, brutally mutilated. When the teenage Emperor Hui discovered the cruel acts committed by his mother, Loewe says that he "did not dare disobey her."
Hui's brief reign saw the completion of the defensive city walls around the capital Chang'an in 190 BCE; these brick and rammed earth walls were originally 12 m (40 ft) tall and formed a rough rectangular ground plan (with some irregularities due to topography); their ruins still stand today. This urban construction project was completed by 150,000 conscript laborers. Emperor Hui's reign saw the repeal of old Qin laws banning certain types of literature and was characterized by a cautious approach to foreign policy, including the renewal of the heqin agreement with the Xiongnu and Han's acknowledgment of the independent sovereignty of the Kings of Donghai and Nanyue. Regency and downfall of the L clan
Terracotta figurine of a female servant, Western Han Era
Since Emperor Hui did not sire any children with his empress Zhang Yan, after his death in 188 BCE, L Zhi, now grand empress dowager and regent, chose his successor from among his sons with other consorts. She first placed Emperor Qianshao of Han (r. 188184 BCE) on the throne, but then removed him for another puppet ruler Emperor Houshao of Han (r. 184180 BCE). She not only issued imperial edicts during their reigns, but she also appointed members of her own clan as kings against Emperor Gaozu's explicit prohibition; other clan members became key military officers and civil officials.
The court under L Zhi was not only unable to deal with a Xiongnu invasion of Longxi Commandery (in modern Gansu) in which 2,000 Han prisoners were taken, but it also provoked a conflict with Zhao Tuo, King of Nanyue, by imposing a ban on exporting iron and other trade items to his southern kingdom. Proclaiming himself Emperor Wu of Nanyue () in 183 BCE, Zhao Tuo attacked the Han Kingdom of Changsha in 181 BCE. He did not rescind his rival imperial title until the Han ambassador Lu Jia again visited Nanyue's court during the reign of Emperor Wen.
After Empress Dowager L's death in 180 BCE, it was alleged that the L clan plotted to overthrow the Liu dynasty, and Liu Xiang the King of Qi (Emperor Gaozu's grandson) rose against the Ls. Before the central government and Qi forces engaged each other, the L clan was ousted from power and destroyed by a coup led by the officials Chen Ping () and Zhou Bo () at Chang'an. Although Liu Xiang had resisted the Ls, he was passed over to become emperor because he had mobilized troops without permission from the central government and because his mother 's family possessed the same ambitious attitude as the Ls. Consort Bo, the mother of Liu Heng, King of Dai, was considered to possess a noble character, so her son was chosen as successor to the throne; he is known posthumously as Emperor Wen of Han (r. 180157 BCE). Reign of Wen and Jing
A silk banner from Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan province which was draped over the coffin of the Lady Dai (d. 168 BCE), wife of the Marquess Li Cang () (d. 186 BCE), chancellor for the Kingdom of Changsha
Main articles: Rule of Wen and Jing and Rebellion of the Seven States Reforms and policies
Further information: Government of the Han Dynasty and Society and culture of the Han Dynasty
During the "Rule of Wen and Jing" (the era named after Emperor Wen and his successor Emperor Jing (r. 157141 BCE), the Han Empire witnessed greater economic and dynastic stability, while the central government assumed more power over the realm. In an attempt to distance itself from the harsh rule of Qin, the court under these rulers abolished legal punishments involving mutilation in 167 BCE, declared eight widespread amnesties between 180141 BCE, and reduced the tax rate on households' agricultural produce from one-fifteenth to one-thirtieth in 168 BCE. It was abolished altogether the following year, but reinstated at the rate of one-thirtieth in 156 BCE.
Government policies were influenced by the proto-Daoist Huang-Lao () ideology, a mix of political and cosmological precepts given patronage by Wen's wife Empress Dou (d. 135 BCE), who was empress dowager during Jing's reign and grand empress dowager during the early reign of his successor Emperor Wu (r. 14187 BCE). Huang-Lao, named after the mythical Yellow Emperor and the 6th-century-BCE philosopher Laozi, viewed the former as the founder of ordered civilization; this was unlike the Confucians, who gave that role to legendary sage kings Yao and Shun. Han imperial patrons of Huang-Lao sponsored the policy of "nonaction" or wuwei () (a central concept of Laozi's Daodejing), which claimed that rulers should interfere as little as possible if administrative and legal systems were to function smoothly. The influence of Huang-Lao doctrines on state affairs became eclipsed with the formal adoption of Confucianism as state ideology during Wu's reign and the later view that Laozi, not the Yellow Emperor, was the originator of Daoist practices.
From 179143 BCE, the number of kingdoms was increased from eleven to twenty-five and the number of commanderies from nineteen to forty. This was not due to a large territorial expansion, but because kingdoms that had rebelled against Han rule or failed to produce an heir were significantly reduced in size or even abolished and carved into new commanderies or smaller kingdoms. Rebellion of Seven States
Seated earthenware figures playing on a model liubo board game, dated to the Eastern Han Era
When Liu Xian (), the heir apparent of Wu, once made an official visit to the capital during Wen's reign, he played a board game called liubo with then crown prince Liu Qi, the future Emperor Jing. During a heated dispute, Liu Qi threw the game board at Liu Xian, killing him. This outraged his father Liu Pi (), the King of Wu and a nephew of Emperor Gaozu's, who was nonetheless obliged to claim allegiance to Liu Qi once he took the throne.
Still bitter over the death of his son and fearful that he would be targeted in a wave of reduction of kingdom sizes that Emperor Jing carried out under the advice of Imperial Counselor Chao Cuo (d. 154 BCE), the King of Wu led a revolt against Han in 154 BCE as the head of a coalition with six other rebelling kingdoms: Chu, Zhao, Jiaoxi, Jiaodong, Zaichuan, and Jinan, which also feared such reductions. However, Han forces commanded by Zhou Yafu were ready and able to put down the revolt, destroying the coalition of seven states against Han. Several kingdoms were abolished (although later reinstated) and others significantly reduced in size. Emperor Jing issued an edict in 145 BCE which outlawed the independent administrative staffs in the kingdoms and abolished all their senior offices except for the chancellor, who was henceforth reduced in status and appointed directly by the central government. His successor Emperor Wu would diminish their power even further by abolishing the kingdoms' tradition of primogeniture and ordering that each king had to divide up his realm between all of his male heirs. Relations with the Xiongnu
Western Han Era infantry (foreground) and mounted cavalry (background) pottery figurines
In 177 BCE, the Xiongnu Wise King of the Right raided the non-Chinese tribes living under Han protection in the northwest (modern Gansu). In 176 BCE, Modu Chanyu sent a letter to Emperor Wen informing him that the Wise King, allegedly insulted by Han officials, acted without the Chanyu's permission and so he punished the Wise King by forcing him to conduct a military campaign against the nomadic Yuezhi. Yet this event was merely part of a larger effort to recruit nomadic tribes north of Han China, during which the bulk of the Yuezhi were expelled from the Hexi Corridor (fleeing west into Central Asia) and the sedentary state of Loulan in the Lop Nur salt marsh, the nomadic Wusun of the Tian Shan range, and twenty-six other states east of Samarkand were subjugated to Xiongnu hegemony. Modu Chanyu's implied threat that he would invade China if the heqin agreement was not renewed sparked a debate in Chang'an; although officials such as Chao Cuo and Jia Yi (d. 169 BCE) wanted to reject the heqin policy, Emperor Wen favored renewal of the agreement. Modu Chanyu died before the Han tribute reached him, but his successor Laoshang Chanyu (174160 BCE) renewed the heqin agreement and negotiated the opening of border markets. Lifting the ban on trade significantly reduced the frequency and size of Xiongnu raids, which had necessitated tens of thousands of Han troops to be stationed at the border. However, Laoshang Chanyu and his successor Junchen Chanyu () (r. 160126 BCE) continued to violate Han's territorial sovereignty by making incursions despite the treaty. While Laoshang Chanyu continued the conquest of his father by driving the Yuezhi into the Ili River valley, the Han quietly built up its strength in cavalry forces to later challenge the Xiongnu. Reign of Wu
Main article: Sino-Xiongnu War
Further information: Battle of Loulan, Sino-Roman relations, Sino-Indian relations, and First Chinese domination (History of Vietnam) Confucianism and government recruitment
A lacquerware-painted scene on a 1st or 2nd century CE basket from the Han colony at Lelang (modern North Korea) showing historical paragons of filial piety
Further information: Society and culture of the Han Dynasty and Government of the Han Dynasty
Although Emperor Gaozu did not ascribe to the philosophy and system of ethics attributed to Confucius (fl. 6th century BCE), he did enlist the aid of Confucians such as Lu Jia and Shusun Tong (); in 196 BCE he established the first Han regulation for recruiting men of merit into government service, which Robert P. Kramer calls the "first major impulse toward the famous examination system." Emperors Wen and Jing appointed Confucian academicians to court, yet not all academicians at their courts specialized in what would later become orthodox Confucian texts. For several years after Liu Che took the throne in 141 BCE (known posthumously as Emperor Wu), the Grand Empress Dowager Dou continued to dominate the court and did not accept any policy which she found unfavorable or contradicted Huang-Lao ideology. After her death in 135 BCE, a major shift occurred in Chinese political history.
A 2nd century BCE Western Han gilded bronze oil lamp set with painted silver designs
After Emperor Wu called for the submission of memorial essays on how to improve the government, he favored that of the official Dong Zhongshu (179104 BCE), a philosopher who Kramers calls the first Confucian "theologian". Dong's synthesis fused together the ethical ideas of Confucius with the cosmological beliefs in yin and yang and Five Elements or Wuxing by fitting them into the same holistic, universal system which governed heaven, earth, and the world of man. Moreover, it justified the imperial system of government by providing it its place within the greater cosmos. Reflecting the ideas of Dong Zhongshu, Emperor Wu issued an edict in 136 BCE that abolished academic chairs other than those focused on the Confucian Five Classics. In 124 BCE Emperor Wu established the Imperial University, at which the academicians taught 50 students; this was the incipient beginning of the civil service examination system refined in later dynasties. Although sons and relatives of officials were often privileged with nominations to office, those who did not come from a family of officials were not barred from entry into the bureaucracy. Rather, education in the Five Classics became the paramount prerequisite for gaining office; as a result, the Imperial University was expanded dramatically by the 2nd century CE when it accommodated 30,000 students. With Cai Lun's (d. 121 CE) invention of the papermaking process in 105 CE, the spread of paper as a cheap writing medium from the Eastern Han period onwards increased the supply of books and hence the number of those who could be educated for civil service. War against the Xiongnu
A Western or Eastern Han bronze horse with a lead saddle
The death of Empress Dou also marked a significant shift in foreign policy. In order to address the Xiongnu threat and renewal of the heqin agreement, Emperor Wu called a court conference into session in 135 BCE where two factions of leading ministers debated the merits and faults of the current policy; Emperor Wu followed the majority consensus of his ministers that peace should be maintained. A year later, while the Xiongnu were busy raiding the northern border and waiting for Han's response, Wu had another court conference assembled. The faction supporting war against the Xiongnu was able to sway the majority opinion by making a compromise for those worried about stretching financial resources on an indefinite campaign: in a limited engagement along the border near Mayi, Han forces would lure Junchen Chanyu over with gifts and promises of defections in order to quickly eliminate him and cause political chaos for the Xiongnu. When the Mayi trap failed in 133 BCE (Junchen Chanyu realized he was about to fall into a trap and fled back north), the era of heqin-style appeasement was broken and the Han court resolved to engage in full-scale war.
Leading campaigns involving tens of thousands of troops, in 127 BCE the Han general Wei Qing (d. 106 BCE) recaptured the Ordos Desert region from the Xiongnu and in 121 BCE Huo Qubing (d. 117 BCE) expelled them from the Qilian Mountains, gaining the surrender of many Xiongnu aristocrats. At the Battle of Mobei in 119 BCE, generals Wei and Huo led the campaign to the Khangai Mountains where they forced the chanyu to flee north of the Gobi Desert. The maintenance of 300,000 horses by government slaves in thirty-six different pasture lands was not enough to satisfy the cavalry and baggage trains needed for these campaigns, so the government offered exemption from military and corve labor for up to three male members of each household who presented a privately-bred horse to the government. Expansion and colonization
The ruins of a Han-dynasty watchtower made of rammed earth at Dunhuang, Gansu province, the eastern end of the Silk Road
After Xiongnu's King Hunye surrendered to Huo Qubing in 121 BCE, the Han acquired a territory stretching from the Hexi Corridor to Lop Nur, thus cutting the Xiongnu off from their Qiang allies. New commanderies were established in the Ordos as well as four in the Hexi Corridoriuquan, Zhangyi, Dunhuang, and Wuweihich were populated with Han settlers after a major Qiang-Xiongnu allied force was repelled from the region in 111 BCE. By 119 BCE, Han forces established their first garrison outposts in the Juyan Lake Basin of Inner Mongolia, with larger settlements built there after 110 BCE. Roughly 40% of the settlers at Juyan came from the Guandong region of modern Henan, western Shandong, southern Shanxi, southern Hebei, northwestern Jiangsu, and northwestern Anhui. After Hunye's surrender, the Han court moved 725,000 people from the Guandong region to populate the Xinqinzhong () region south of the bend of the Yellow River. In all, Emperor Wu's forces conquered roughly 4.4 million km2 (1.7 million mi2) of new land, by far the largest territorial expansion in Chinese history. Self-sustaining agricultural garrisons were established in these frontier outposts to support military campaigns as well as secure trade routes leading into Central Asia, the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. The Han-era Great Wall was extended as far west as Dunhuang and sections of it still stand today in Gansu, including thirty Han beacon towers and two fortified castles. Exploration, foreign trade, war and diplomacy
Woven silk textile from Tomb No. 1 at Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan province, China, dated to the Western Han Era, 2nd century BCE.
The Portland Vase, Roman cameo glass, 525 CE; Roman glass has been found in Han Chinese tombs dating from the reign of Emperor Wu onwards.
Starting in 139 BCE, the Han diplomat Zhang Qian traveled west in an unsuccessful attempt to secure an alliance with the Da Yuezhi (who were evicted from Gansu by the Xiongnu in 177 BCE); however, Zhang's travels revealed entire countries which the Chinese were unaware of, the remnants of the conquests of Alexander the Great (r. 336323 BCE). When Zhang returned to China in 125 BCE, he reported on his visits to Dayuan (Fergana), Kangju (Sogdiana), and Daxia (Bactria, formerly the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom which was subjugated by the Da Yuezhi). Zhang described Dayuan and Daxia as agricultural and urban countries like China, and although he did not venture there, described Shendu (the Indus River valley of Northwestern India) and Anxi (Arsacid territories) further west. Envoys sent to these states returned with foreign delegations and lucrative trade caravans; yet even before this, Zhang noted that these countries were importing Chinese silk. After interrogating merchants, Zhang also discovered a southwestern trade route leading through Burma and on to India. The earliest known Roman glassware found in China (but manufactured in the Roman Empire) is a glass bowl found in a Guangzhou tomb dating to the early 1st century BCE and perhaps came from a maritime route passing through the South China Sea. Likewise, imported Chinese silk attire became popular in the Roman Empire by the time of Julius Caesar (10044 BCE).
After the heqin agreement broke down, the Xiongnu were forced to extract more crafts and agricultural foodstuffs from the subjugated Tarim Basin urban centers. From 11560 BCE the Han and Xiongnu battled for control and influence over these states, with the Han gaining, from 108101 BCE tributary submission of Loulan, Turpan, Bgr, Dayuan (Fergana), and Kangju (Sogdiana). The farthest-reaching and most expensive invasion was Li Guangli's () four-year campaign against Fergana in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya valleys (modern Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan). Historian Laszlo Torday (1997) asserts that Fergana threatened to cut off Han's access to the Silk Road, yet historian Sima Qian (d. 86 BCE) downplayed this threat by asserting that Li's mission was really a means to punish Dayuan for not providing tribute of prized Central Asian stallions.
To the south, Emperor Wu assisted King Wen of Nanyue in fending off an attack by Minyue (in modern Fujian) in 135 BCE. After a pro-Han faction was overthrown at the court of Nanyue, Han naval forces conquered Nanyue in 111 BCE, bringing areas of modern Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan Island, and northern Vietnam under Han control. Emperor Wu also launched an invasion into the Dian Kingdom of Yunnan in 109 BCE, subjugating its king as a tributary vassal, while later Dian rebellions in 86 BCE and 83 BCE, 14 CE (during Wang Mang's rule), and 4245 CE were quelled by Han forces. Wu sent an expedition into what is now North Korea in 128 BCE, but this was abandoned two years later. In 108 BCE, another expedition established four commanderies there, only two of which (i.e. Xuantu Commandery and Lelang Commandery) remained after 82 BCE. Although there was some violent resistance in 108 BCE and irregular raids by Goguryeo and Buyeo afterwards, Chinese settlers conducted peaceful trade relations with native Koreans who lived largely independent of (but were culturally influenced by) the sparse Han settlements. Economic reforms
Main articles: Economy of the Han Dynasty and Science and technology of the Han Dynasty
The front and reverse of a wushu () coin issued during the reign of Emperor Wu, 25.5 mm in diameter
To fund his prolonged military campaigns and colonization efforts, Emperor Wu turned away from the "nonaction" policy of earlier reigns by having the central government commandeer the private industries and trades of salt mining and iron manufacturing by 117 BCE. Another government monopoly over liquor was established in 98 BCE, but the majority consensus at a court conference in 81 BCE led to the breaking up of this monopoly. The mathematician and official Sang Hongyang (d. 80 BCE), who later became Imperial Counselor and one of many former merchants drafted into the government to help administer these monopolies, was responsible for the 'equable transportation' system that eliminated price variation over time from place to place. This was a government means to interfere in the profitable grain trade by eliminating speculation (since the government stocked up on grain when cheap and sold it to the public at a low price when private merchants demanded higher ones). This along with the monopolies were criticized even during Wu's reign as bringing unnecessary hardships for merchants' profits and farmers forced to rely on poor-quality government-made goods and services; the monopolies and equable transportation did not last into the Eastern Han Era (25220 CE).
During Emperor Wu's reign, the poll tax for each minor aged three to fourteen was raised from 20 to 23 coins; the rate for adults remained at 120. New taxes exacted on market transactions, wheeled vehicles, and properties were meant to bolster the growing military budget. In 119 BCE a new bronze coin weighing five shu (3.2 g/0.11 oz)eplacing the four shu coinas issued by the government (remaining the standard coin of China until the Tang Dynasty), followed by a ban on private minting in 113 BCE. Earlier attempts to ban private minting took place in 186 and 144 BCE, but Wu's monopoly over the issue of coinage remained in place throughout the Han (although its stewardship changed hands between different government agencies). From 118 BCE to 5 CE, the Han government minted 28 billion coins, an average of 220 million a year. Latter half of Western Han
Main article: Protectorate of the Western Regions
A gilded bronze oil lamp in the shape of a female servant, dated 2nd century BCE, found in the tomb of Dou Wan, wife to the Han prince Liu Sheng; its sliding shutter allows for adjustments in the direction and brightness in rays of light while it also traps smoke within the body. Regency of Huo Guang
Emperor Wu's first wife, Empress Chen Jiao, was deposed in 130 BCE after allegations that she attempted witchcraft to help her produce a male heir. In 91 BCE, similar allegations were made against Emperor Wu's Crown Prince Liu Ju, the son of Emperor Wu's second wife Empress Wei Zifu, and Liu Ju, in fear of Emperor Wu's believing the false allegations, rebelled at Chang'an for five days while Emperor Wu was away at his quiet summer retreat of Ganquan (; in modern Shaanxi). After Liu Ju's defeat, both he and Empress Wei committed suicide.
Eventually, due to his good reputation, Huo Qubing's half-brother Huo Guang was entrusted by Wu to form a triumvirate regency alongside ethnically-Xiongnu Jin Midi (d. 86 BCE) and Shangguan Jie () (d. 80 BCE) over the court of his successor, the child Liu Fuling, known posthumously as Emperor Zhao of Han (r. 8774 BCE). Jin Midi died a year later and by 80 BCE Shangguan Jie and Imperial Counselor Sang Hongyang were executed when they were accused of supporting Emperor Zhao's older brother Liu Dan () the King of Yan as emperor; this gave Huo unrivaled power. However, he did not abuse his power in the eyes of the Confucian establishment and gained popularity for reducing Emperor Wu's taxes.
Emperor Zhao died in 74 BCE without a successor, while the one chosen to replace him on July 18, his nephew Prince He of Changyi, was removed on August 14 after displaying a lack of character or capacity to rule. Prince He's removal was secured with a petition signed by all the leading ministers and submitted to Empress Dowager Shangguan for approval. Liu Bingyi (Liu Ju's grandson) was named Emperor Xuan of Han (r. 7449 BCE) on September 10. Huo Guang remained in power as regent over Emperor Xuan until he died of natural causes in 68 BCE. Yet in 66 BCE the Huo clan was charged with conspiracy against the throne and eliminated. This was the culmination of Emperor Xuan's revenge after Huo Guang's wife had poisoned his beloved Empress Xu Pingjun in 71 BCE only to have her replaced by Huo Guang's daughter Empress Huo Chengjun (the latter was deposed in September 66 BCE). Liu Shi, son of Empress Xu, succeeded his father as Emperor Yuan of Han (r. 4933 BCE). Reforms and frugality
Further information: Government of the Han Dynasty
A bronze with silver inlay rhinoceros figurine sporting a saddle on its back, dated to the Western Han Era
During Emperor Wu's reign and Huo Guang's regency, the dominant political faction was the Modernist Party. This party favored greater government intervention in the private economy with government monopolies over salt and iron, higher taxes exacted on private business, and price controls which were used to fund an aggressive foreign policy of territorial expansion; they also followed the Qin Dynasty approach to discipline by meting out more punishments for faults and less rewards for service. After Huo Guang's regency, the Reformist Party gained more leverage over state affairs and policy decisions. This party favored the abolishment of government monopolies, limited government intervention in the private economy, a moderate foreign policy, limited colonization efforts, frugal budget reform, and a return to the Zhou Dynasty ideal of granting more rewards for service to display the dynasty's magnanimity. This party's influence can be seen in the abolition of the central government's salt and iron monopolies in 44 BCE, yet these were reinstated in 41 BCE, only to be abolished again during the 1st century CE and transferred to local administrations and private entrepreneurship. By 66 BCE the Reformists had many of the lavish spectacles, games, and entertainments installed by Emperor Wu to impress foreign dignitaries cancelled on the grounds that they were excessive and ostentatious.
A cylindrical lacquerware box from tomb no. 1 at Mawangdui, 2nd century BCE
Spurred by alleged signs from Heaven warning the ruler of his incompetence, a total of eighteen general amnesties were granted during the combined reigns of Emperor Yuan and Emperor Cheng of Han (r. 337 BCE, Liu Ao ). Emperor Yuan reduced the severity of punishment for several crimes, while Cheng reduced the length of judicial procedures in 34 BCE since they were disrupting the lives of commoners. While the Modernists had accepted sums of cash from criminals to have their sentences commuted or even dropped, the Reformists reversed this policy since it favored the wealthy over the poor and was not an effective deterrent against crime.
Emperor Cheng made major reforms to state-sponsored religion. The Qin Dynasty had worshipped four main legendary deities, with another added by Emperor Gaozu in 205 BCE; these were the Five Powers, or Wudi (). In 31 BCE Emperor Cheng, in an effort to gain Heaven's favor and bless him with a male heir, halted all ceremonies dedicated to the Five Powers and replaced them with ceremonies for the supreme god Shangdi, who the kings of Zhou had worshipped. Foreign relations and war
A painted ceramic mounted cavalryman from the tomb of a military general at Xianyang, Shaanxi province, dated to the Western Han Era
The first half of the 1st century BCE witnessed several succession crises for the Xiongnu leadership, allowing Han to further cement its control over the Western Regions. The Han general Fu Jiezi assassinated the pro-Xiongnu King of Loulan in 77 BCE. The Han formed a coalition with the Wusun, Dingling, and Wuhuan, and the coalition forces inflicted a major defeat against the Xiongnu in 72 BCE. The Han regained its influence over the Turpan Depression after defeating the Xiongnu at the Battle of Jushi in 67 BCE. In 65 BCE Han was able to install a new King of Kucha (a state north of the Taklamakan Desert) who would be agreeable to Han interests in the region. The office of the Protectorate of the Western Regions, first given to Zheng Ji (d. 49 BCE), was established in 60 BCE to supervise colonial activities and conduct relations with the small kingdoms of the Tarim Basin.
After Zhizhi Chanyu (r. 5636 BCE) had inflicted a serious defeat against his rival brother and royal contendor Huhanye Chanyu () (r. 5831 BCE), Huhanye and his supporters debated whether to request Han aid and become a Han vassal. He decided to do so in 52 BCE. Huhanye sent his son as a hostage to Han and personally paid homage to Emperor Xuan during the 51 BCE Chinese New Year celebration. Under the advocacy of the the Reformists, Huhanye was seated as a distinguished guest of honor and rich rewards of 5 kg (160 oz t) of gold, 200,000 cash coins, 77 suits of clothes, 8,000 bales of silk fabric, 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) of silk floss, and 15 horses, in addition to 680,000 L (19,300 U.S. bu) of grain sent to him when he returned home.
A gilded bronze handle (now disconnected from the ware) in the shape of a dragon's head and neck, Eastern Han Era
Huhanye Chanyu and his successors were encouraged to pay further trips of homage to the Han court due to the increasing amount of gifts showered on them after each visit; this was a cause for complaint by some ministers in 3 BCE, yet the financial consequence of pampering their vassal was deemed superior to the heqin agreement. Zhizhi Chanyu initially attempted to send hostages and tribute to the Han court in hopes of ending the Han support of Huhanye, but eventually turned against Han. Subsequently, the Han general Chen Tang and Protector General Gan Yanshou (/), acting without explicit permission from the Han court, killed Zhizhi at his capital of Shanyu City (in modern Taraz, Kazakhstan) in 36 BCE. The Reformist Han court, reluctant to award independent missions let alone foreign interventionism, gave Chen and Gan only modest rewards. Despite the show of favor, Huhanye was not given a Han princess; instead, he was given the Lady Wang Zhaojun, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. This marked a departure from the earlier heqin agreement, where a Chinese princess was handed over to the Chanyu as his bride. Wang Mang's usurpation Wang Mang seizes control
The long life of Empress Wang Zhengjun (71 BCE13 CE), wife of Emperor Yuan and mother to Emperor Cheng, ensured that her male relatives would be appointed one after another to the role of regent, officially known as Commander-in-Chief. Emperor Cheng, who was more interested in cockfighting and chasing after beautiful women than administering the empire, left much of the affairs of state to his relatives of the Wang clan. On November 28, 8 BCE Wang Mang (45 BCE23 CE), a nephew of Empress Dowager Wang, became the new General-in-Chief. However, when Emperor Ai of Han (r. 71 BCE, Liu Xin) took the throne, his grandmother Consort Fu (Emperor Yuan's concubine) became the leading figure in the palace and forced Wang Mang to resign on August 27, 7 BCE, followed by his forced departure from the capital to his marquessate in 5 BCE.
The raised-relief decorated reverse side of a Han bronze mirror showing animal figures representing the Chinese zodiac
Due to pressure from Wang's supporters, Emperor Ai invited Wang Mang back to the capital in 2 BCE. A year later Emperor Ai died of illness without a son. Wang Mang was reinstated as regent over Emperor Ping of Han (r. 1 BCE 6 CE, Liu Jizi), a first cousin of the former emperor. Although Wang had married his daughter to Emperor Ping, the latter was still a child when he died in 6 CE. In July of that year, Grand Empress Dowager Wang confirmed Wang Mang as acting emperor (jiahuangdi ) and the child Liu Ying as his heir to succeed him, despite the fact that a Liu family marquess had revolted against Wang a month earlier, followed by others who were outraged that he was assuming greater power than the imperial Liu family. These rebellions were quelled and Wang Mang promised to hand over power to Liu Ying when he reached his majority. Despite promises to relinquish power, Wang initiated a propaganda campaign to show that Heaven was sending signals that it was time for Han's rule to end. On January 10, 9 CE he announced that Han had run its course and accepted the requests that he proclaim himself emperor of the Xin Dynasty (923 CE). Traditionalist reforms
Further information: Economy of the Han Dynasty and Society and culture of the Han Dynasty
Bronze Chinese coins, in the shape of knives and spades, from the reign of Wang Mang
Wang Mang had a grand vision to restore China to a fabled golden age achieved in the early Zhou Dynasty, the era which Confucius had idealized. He attempted sweeping reforms, including the outlawing of slavery and institution of the King's Fields system in 9 CE, nationalizing land ownership and allotting a standard amount of land to each family. Slavery was reestablished and the land reform regime was cancelled in 12 CE due to widespread protest.
The historian Ban Gu (3292 CE) wrote that Wang's reforms led to his downfall, yet aside from slavery and land reform, historian Hans Bielenstein points out that most of Wang's reforms were in line with earlier Han policies. Although his new denominations of currency introduced in 7 CE, 9 CE, 10 CE, and 14 CE debased the value of coinage, earlier introductions of lighter-weight currencies resulted in economic damage as well. Wang renamed all the commanderies of the empire as well as bureaucratic titles, yet there were precedents for this as well. The government monopolies were rescinded in 22 CE because they could no longer be enforced during a large-scale rebellion against him (spurred by massive flooding of the Yellow River). Foreign relations under Wang
A jade-carved sword scabbard slide with a dragon design, from the Western Han Era
The half-Chinese, half-Xiongnu noble Yituzhiyashi (), son of Huhanye Chanyu and Wang Zhaojun, became a vocal partisan for Han China within the Xiongnu realm; Bielenstein claims that this led conservative Xiongnu nobles to anticipate a break in the alliance with Han. The moment came when Wang Mang assumed the throne and demoted the Chanyu to a lesser rank; this became a pretext for war. During the winter of 1011 CE, Wang amassed 300,000 troops along the northern border of Han China, a show of force which led the Xiongnu to back down. Yet when raiding continued, Wang Mang had the princely Xiongnu hostage held by Han authorities executed. Diplomatic relations were repaired when Xian () (r. 1318 CE) became the chanyu, only to be soiled again when Huduershi Chanyu () (r. 1846 CE) took the throne and raided Han's borders in 19 CE.
The Tarim Basin kingdom of Yanqi (Karasahr, located east of Kucha, west of Turpan) rebelled against Xin authority in 13 CE, killing Han's Protector General Dan Qin (). Wang Mang sent a force to retaliate against Karasahr in 16 CE, quelling their resistance and ensuring that the region would remain under Chinese control until the widespread rebellion against Wang Mang toppled his rule in 23 CE. Wang also extended Chinese influence over Tibetan tribes in the Kokonor region and fended off an attack in 12 CE by Goguryeo (an early Korean state located around the Yalu River) in the Korean peninsula. However, as the widespread rebellion in China mounted from 2023 CE, the Koreans raided Lelang Commandery and Han did not reassert itself in the region until 30 CE. Restoration of the Han
Main article: Rule of Ming and Zhang
Further information: Second Chinese domination (History of Vietnam) Natural disaster and civil war
An Eastern-Han pottery soldier with a now faded coating of paint and a missing weapon from his right hand
Before 3 CE, the course of the Yellow River had emptied into the Bohai Sea at Tianjin, but the gradual build up of silt in its riverbedhich raised the water level each yearverpowered the dikes built to prevent flooding and the river split in two, with one arm flowing south of the Shandong Peninsula and into the East China Sea. A second flood in 11 CE changed the course of the northern branch of the river so that it emptied slightly north of the Shandong Peninsula, yet far south of Tianjin. With much of the southern North China Plain inundated following the creation of the Yellow River's southern branch, thousands of starving peasants who were displaced from their homes formed groups of bandits and rebels, most notably the Red Eyebrows. Wang Mang's armies tried to quell these rebellions in 18 and 22 CE but failed.
Liu Yan (d. 23 CE), a descendant of Emperor Jing, led a group of rebelling gentry groups from Nanyang who had Yan's third cousin Liu Xuan () accept the title Emperor Gengshi of Han (r. 2325) on March 11, 23 CE. Liu Xiu, a brother of Liu Yan and future Emperor Guangwu of Han (r. 2557 CE), distinguished himself at the Battle of Kunyang on July 7, 23 CE when he relieved a city sieged by Wang Mang's forces and turned the tide of the war. Soon afterwards, Emperor Gengshi had Liu Yan executed on grounds of treason and Liu Xiu, fearing for his life, resigned from office as Minister of Ceremonies and avoided public mourning for his brother; for this, the emperor gave Liu Xiu a marquessate and a promotion as general.
Gengshi's forces then targeted Chang'an, but a local insurgency broke out in the capital. From October 46 Wang Mang made a last stand at the Weiyang Palace only to be killed and decapitated; his head was sent to Gengshi's headquarters at Wan (i.e., Nanyang) before Gengshi's armies even reached Chang'an on October 9. Emperor Gengshi settled Luoyang as his new capital where he invited Red Eyebrows leader Fan Chong () to stay, yet Gengshi granted him only honorary titles, so Fan decided to flee once his men began to desert him. Gengshi moved the capital back to Chang'an in 24 CE, yet in the following year the Red Eyebrows defeated his forces, appointed their own puppet ruler Liu Penzi, entered Chang'an and captured the fleeing Gengshi who they demoted as King of Changsha before killing him. Reconsolidation under Guangwu
Eastern Han Era bronze statuette of a mythical chimera (), 1st century CE
While acting as a commissioner under Emperor Gengshi, Liu Xiu gathered a significant following after putting down a local rebellion (in what is now Hebei province). He claimed the Han throne himself on August 5, 25 CE and occupied Luoyang as his capital on November 5. Before he would eventually unify the empire, there were 11 others who claimed the title of emperor. With the efforts of his officers Deng Yu and Feng Yi, Guangwu forced the wandering Red Eyebrows to surrender on March 15, 27 CE, resettling them at Luoyang, yet had their leader Fan Chong executed when a plot of rebellion was revealed.
From 2630 CE, Guangwu defeated various warlords and conquered the Central Plain and Shandong Peninsula in the east. Allying with the warlord Dou Rong () of the distant Hexi Corridor in 29 CE, Guangwu nearly defeated the Gansu warlord Wei Xiao (/) in 32 CE, seizing Wei's domain in 33 CE. The last adversary standing was Gongsun Shu (), whose base was at Chengdu in modern Sichuan. Although Guangwu's forces successfully burned down Gongsun's fortified pontoon bridge stretching across the Yangzi River, Guangwu's commanding general Cen Peng () was killed in 35 CE by an assassin sent by Gongsun Shu. Nevertheless, Han General Wu Han (d. 44 CE) resumed Cen's campaign along the Yangzi and Min rivers and destroyed Gongsun's forces by December 36 CE.
This pottery model of a palace found in a Han Dynasty tomb displays outer walls and courts, gate houses, towers, halls, verandas, and roof tiles.
Since Chang'an is located west of Luoyang, the names Western Han (202 BCE 9 CE) and Eastern Han (25220 CE) are accepted by historians. Luoyang's 10 m (32 ft) tall eastern, western, and northern walls still stand today, although the southern wall was destroyed when the Luo River changed its course. Within its walls it had two prominent palaces, both of which existed during Western Han, but were expanded by Guangwu and his successors. While Eastern Han Luoyang is estimated to have held roughly 500,000 inhabitants, the first known census data for the whole of China, dated 2 CE, recorded a population of nearly 58 million. Comparing this to the census of 140 CE (when the total population was registered at roughly 48 million), there was a significant migratory shift of up to 10 million people from northern to southern China during Eastern Han, largely because of natural disasters and wars with nomadic groups in the north. Population size fluctuated according to periodically-updated Eastern-Han censuses, but historian Sadao Nishijima notes that this does not reflect a dramatic loss of life, but rather government inability at times to register the entire populace. Policies under Guangwu, Ming, Zhang, and He
An Eastern-Han statue of Li Bing (fl. 3rd century BCE), who engineered the Dujiangyan Irrigation System; this statue was placed in the middle of the water there to serve as a water level gauge.
Further information: Government of the Han Dynasty
Scrapping Wang Mang's denominations of currency, Emperor Guangwu reintroduced Western Han's standard five shu coin in 40 CE. Making up for lost revenue after the salt and iron monopolies were canceled, private manufacturers were heavily taxed while the government purchased its armies' swords and shields from private businesses. In 31 CE he allowed peasants to pay a military substitution tax to avoid conscription into the armed forces for a year of training and year of service; instead he built a volunteer force which lasted throughout Eastern Han. He also allowed peasants to avoid the one-month corve duty with a commutable tax as hired labor became more popular. Wang Mang had demoted all Han marquesses to commoner status, yet Guangwu made an effort from 27 CE onwards to find their relatives and restore abolished marquessates.
Emperor Ming of Han (r. 5775 CE, Liu Yang) reestablished the Office for Price Adjustment and Stabilization and the price stabilization system where the government bought grain when cheap and sold it to the public when private commercial prices were high due to limited stocks. However, he canceled the prize stabilization scheme in 68 CE when he became convinced that government hoarding of grain only made wealthy merchants even richer. With the renewed economic prosperity brought about by his father's reign, Emperor Ming addressed the flooding of the Yellow River by repairing various dams and canals. On April 8, 70 CE, an edict boasted that the southern branch of the Yellow River emptying south of the Shandong Peninsula was finally cut off by Han engineering. A patron of scholarship, Emperor Ming also established a school for young nobles aside from the Imperial University.
A Western Han Era bronze door knocker
Emperor Zhang of Han (r. 7588 CE, Liu Da) faced an agrarian crisis when a cattle epidemic broke out in 76 CE. In addition to providing disaster relief, Zhang also made reforms to legal procedures and lightened existing punishments with the bastinado, since he believed that this would restore the seasonal balance of yin and yang and cure the epidemic. To further display his benevolence, in 78 CE he ceased the corve work on canal works of the Hutuo River running through the Taihang Mountains, believing it was causing too much hardship for the people; in 85 CE he granted a three-year poll tax exemption for any woman who gave birth and exempted their husbands for a year. Unlike other Eastern Han rulers who sponsored the New Texts tradition of the Confucian Five Classics, Zhang was a patron of the Old Texts tradition and held scholarly debates on the validity of the schools. Rafe de Crespigny writes that the major reform of the Eastern Han period was Zhang's reintroduction in 85 CE of an amended Sifen calendar, replacing Emperor Wu's Taichu calendar of 104 BCE which had become inaccurate over two centuries (the former measured the tropical year at 365.25 days like the Julian Calendar, while the latter measured the tropical year at 3653851539 days and the lunar month at 294381 days).
An earthenware pouring vessel in the shape of a goose, painted with pigment, Western Han Era
Emperor He of Han (r. 88105 CE, Liu Zhao) was tolerant of both New Text and Old Text traditions, though orthodox studies were in decline and works skeptical of New Texts, such as Wang Chong's (27 c. 100 CE) Lunheng, disillusioned the scholarly community with that tradition. He also showed an interest in history when he commissioned the Lady Ban Zhao (45116 CE) to use the imperial archives in order to complete the Book of Han, the work of her deceased father and brother. This set an important precedent of imperial control over the recording of history and thus was unlike Sima Qian's far more independent work, the Records of the Grand Historian (10991 BCE). When plagues of locusts, floods, and earthquakes disrupted the lives of commoners, Emperor He's relief policies were to cut taxes, open granaries, provide government loans, forgive private debts, and resettle people away from disaster areas. Believing that a severe drought in 94 CE was the cosmological result of injustice in the legal system, Emperor He personally inspected prisons. When he found that some had false charges levelled against them, he sent the Prefect of Luoyang to prison; rain allegedly came soon afterwards. Foreign relations and split of the Xiongnu realm
A miniature guard brandishing a handheld crossbow from the top balcony of a model watchtower, made of glazed earthenware during the Eastern Han Era
The Vietnamese Trng Sisters led an uprising in the Red River Delta of Jiaozhi Commandery in 40 CE. Guangwu sent the elderly general Ma Yuan (~14 BCE 49 CE), who defeated them in 4243 CE. The sisters' native Dong Son drums were melted down and recast into a large bronze horse statue presented to Guangwu at Luoyang.
Meanwhile, Huduershi Chanyu was succeeded by his son Punu () in 46 CE, thus breaking Huhanye's orders that only a Xiongnu ruler's brother was a valid successor; Huduershi's nephew Bi () was outraged and in 48 CE was proclaimed a rival Chanyu. This split created the Northern Xiongnu and Southern Xiongnu, and like Huhanye before him, Bi turned to the Han for aid in 50 CE. When Bi came to pay homage to the Han court, he was given 10,000 bales of silk fabrics, 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of silk, 500,000 L (14,000 U.S. bu) of rice, and 36,000 head of cattle. Unlike in Huhanye's time, however, the Southern Xiongnu were overseen by a Han Prefect who not only acted as an arbiter in Xiongnu legal cases, but also monitored the movements of the Chanyu and his followers who were settled in Han's northern commanderies in Shanxi, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia. Northern Xiongnu attempts to enter Han's tributary system were rejected.
Carving of a young man in Parthian clothing, from Palmyra, Syria, dated early 3rd century CE
Vima Takto (r. c. 8090 CE), ruler of the Kushan Empire; the Kushan emperors minted copper coins in imitation of the silver denarii of Augustus (r. 27 BCE 14 CE), first emperor of the Roman Empire
Following Xin's loss of the Western Territories, the Kingdom of Yarkand looked after the Chinese officials and families stranded in the Tarim Basin and fought the Xiongnu for control over it. Emperor Guangwu, preoccupied with civil wars in China, simply granted King Kang of Yarkand an official title in 29 CE and in 41 CE made his successor King Xian a Protector General (later reduced to the honorary title of "Great General of Han"). Yarkand overtaxed its subjects of Khotan, Turpan, Kucha, and Karasahr, all of which decided to ally with the Northern Xiongnu. By 61 CE Khotan had conquered Yarkand, yet this led to a war among the kingdoms to decide which would be the next hegemon. The Northern Xiongnu took advantage of the infighting, conquered the Tari...

It is such a joy for parents to see their once helpless baby learning new skills as they grow to be toddlers. Milestones such as a baby's first word or first step are things that parents look forward to. However, often accompanying that joy are worry, confusion and frustration especially when toddlers enter into what many term as the "terrible twos" and display signs of aggression.

Here are some common concerns faced by parents with aggressive toddlers:

1. I am afraid to let my child socialize with other children. I am afraid he will hit or bite the other child when he doesn't get what he wants.

2. I've tried reasoning with my child, explaining why hitting is bad. I've even tried scolding and timeout. But nothing seems to work. I don't know what else to do.

3. Every time my child hurts another child, I feel so bad. I just know that the other parents must think I am a bad parent.

4. I hope that this is just a phase my child is going through and it will soon end.

To help an aggressive toddler, a parent must first understand the reason for the aggression. This is important because then the parent doesn't just label a child as "bad" or "naughty" and react to them in that manner. One of the main reasons why a toddler shows aggression is because they are still lacking in their language skills. They have yet to learn the proper way to express their needs and emotions. Another factor to consider is if the child is tired. Even in adults, tiredness leads to crankiness.

There are several things a parent can do to combat a child's aggression.

1. Replace bad habits with better ones. Teach the child proper behavior. Don't just tell them what not to do, teach them what they should do instead. For example, don't just tell your child not to hit. Teach him how to ask for the toy politely.

2. Give attention to the child that is hurt. This way you do not reward your child's behavior with your attention.

3. Role play. Identify situations that may trigger the aggressive behavior. Act them out together or use dolls or puppets. You can act out both the good behavior and aggressive behavior and ask your child which is right. Or you could just stop in the middle of the story and ask your child what they puppet should do. Reinforce the lesson by listing down on a piece of paper what is the right way. You don't have to use words; you could do an illustration and put it up on the refrigerator.

4. Do not yell or spank when you reprimand your child. Instead, talk in a serious tone. Be a good model on how you handle your displeasure.

5. Be persistent and consistent. Children learn through repetition. Learning how to handle aggression does not happen in one lesson. If you have to say it a 100 times, do it. Don't give up and say, "I hope he grows out of it." It may be a phase they are going through, but it is also where teaching and learning has to take place.

If all else fails, maybe parents need to dig deeper into the child's aggressive problem. A child's aggression may also have their roots in the following:

1. Low self esteem.

2. Stress. Yes, children do have stress too.

3. Influence of television or friends.

4. Physical or learning disabilities.

5. Relationship between parent and child.

6. Poor parenting skills.

In other words, take a step back and take a good look at your child, his or her environment, and also yourself. Then be strong enough to make the necessary changes.

Remember, handling emotions is tough even for adults. What more toddlers who are just learning the ways of the world. So, to help your aggressive toddler, be someone who understands; someone who will not react to them but rather someone who will guide and teach them. If the problem is tough, get tougher and dig deeper. And remember, never ever give up.

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When my grandmother passed away, she willed to my mom her huge fortune and all her assets -properties and possessions- which included a 196 collection of paintings by Mary Cassatt, Degas, Monet, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, and even one masterpiece by El Greco.

But everything paled in value compared to "Sin" (short for Sinatra) --her singing canary.

Both mom and dad were greatly pleased with Gramma's money, art, properties, and investment portfolios, but less so with inheriting a bird.When my grandmother passed away, she willed to my mom her huge fortune and all her assets -properties and possessions- which included a 196 collection of paintings by Mary Cassatt, Degas, Monet, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, and even one masterpiece by El Greco.

But everything paled in value compared to Sin (short for Sinatra) --her singing canary.

Both mom and dad were greatly pleased with Gramma's money, art, properties, and investment portfolios, but less so with inheriting a bird.

After some initial grumblings, my father began to tend to Sin, and in a short time he took over the chores of cleaning the cage, changing the water, the feed and overall general care. Dad holds a high level political job and he travels a lot. I suppose it's safe to say that he is a celebrity of sorts, since I always see his picture in newspapers, TV, and the Web.

"Ah, the joy of sin," dad would say (echoing Gramma's expression) after Sin went into one of his melodic warbles.

Whenever dad was home, every time dad unlatched the cage, within seconds, the wise canary would nudge the door open and fly out. For some reason -and it could be dad's bald spot- Sin, after fluttering around the living room, would always land on top of dad's head. Before long I could see that dad and Sin had bonded in such a warm way that was alien to me, for dad by nature was cool (if not cold) to all, including mom and me.

While I was away in boarding school, things started to go wrong with my parents, as I soon found out during my weekends and holidays. A tense life it was.

Then one day a reckoning of sorts erupted; both mom and dad out of control and without any pretense anymore, they both hurled insults at each other.

It was ugly.

Moments later, after the fight (for their squabbles had become open fights), Ula-our trusted cleaning lady of many years-asked me in halting English if she had done something wrong.

"Missy mad-me?"

"No, Ula."

"Mister mad-me?"

"Nein, Ula. Macht du keine sorge," I would reply-with some effort-recalling the few soothing phrases of German that lay dormant in my brain. Despite my assurances, Ula moved around the apartment, gaze fixed to the floor, hands wringing, feet skittering as silent as a ghost, fearful to make noise, her eyes filled with tears. Suddenly, the apartment seemed cold and empty, as if a gust of evil wind had swept out the remnants of a fragile illusory love. I told what had happened to Mim, my childhood sweetheart. When Mim and I were growing up, Ula spoke to us in German and French; and while I have no talent for foreign languages, Mim grew up speaking and mastering English, French, and German.

As the affection that Sin showed for my father grew, mom's grudge also grew, as deep as malignant tumors do as time goes by. For my part, I loved the bird. Sin fascinated me to no end: at night when the lights were out no night light was needed in the front because he glowed like an incandescent bulb. In daylight, his plumage was so yellow that he seemed enveloped in an eerie aura.

Uncanny as it may seem, in the evenings as dad came home, Sin got to recognize his steps as he wended his way down the long hallway, and he'd start fluttering and trilling and warbling to the point of hysteria. Such lavish display of affection would irk my mom to no end, and to add insult to injury, Sin would at times fluff up, shriek, and show hostility towards mom. Mom would curse under her breath and walk away in a huff.

As usual, after flying and fluttering around, Sin would perch himself on dad's head, and dad would hold him and kiss him, spruce him, and finally put him in his cage.

Unexpectedly, one evening, as dad was grooming Sin, he was horrified to find a growth under Sin's right wing. Wrenched with anguish and concern, dad rushed him to the animal clinic on 1st avenue, where the vets assured him that such growths weren't unusual in canaries and that in most cases they were benign. And that was the case with Sin. After the surgery, during the recovery time, dad would come home early to clean the wound, change bandages, and later the band aids, bringing the pampered bird to a full recovery.

One awful morning, Mim, left me a frantic message in my cell phone: "Watch CNN right away. It's about your dad! I'm coming over to see you right away-wait for me."

All the newspapers and television stations carried the news. Dad had been in an automobile accident in Washington D.C., and he had been arrested for DUI. A few days later the situation got even worse when it was revealed by the media that he had a mistress in the Washington D.C. area, and that he had fathered a child out of wedlock. Mom filed for divorce. Though I understood in a flash what divorce was in the abstract, the pain and the guilt I felt was palpable, concrete, lingering for unending years, benumbing my consciousness.

Before my parents married, because mom comes from old money, the family attorneys had insisted on a pre nuptial agreement, which my father had reluctantly signed. One of the clauses specified that father had no right to any property that accrued from my mom's family. As a result, dad would have to leave the canary behind.

The attorneys soon reached a settlement on everything except the bird. Dad refused to sign the divorce papers unless he was allowed to take Sin with him, and mother, out of spite, would not let the bird go under any circumstance.

"Your mother will never yield," said Mim. "Even though she hates the bird. It's all for spite that she wants to keep Sin."

"Mom never leaves the apartment anymore. She's even becoming agoraphobic. The only place she ever goes to is Solly's Pharmacy-for her Xanax and her valium."

All the suffering, the pain, and the shame, had taken its toll on my mother; she was now but a shadow of the willowy beauty I see in the framed pictures that adorn our apartment.

"Something's got to give," Mim concluded. "The Court will not be tied up for much longer; judges must keep a clear calendar; if they fall behind they are disciplined."

Annoyed that such a trivial detail was occluding his calendar, Judge Hofeld-a bird lover and occasional bird watcher-took it upon himself to settle the matter himself, setting a date for the canary to be brought to his chambers. When the day arrived, Mim and I brought Sin in his cage to the judge's chamber, and set it in the middle of the long conference table.

"Dad will win," I kept murmuring to Mim. "There's no way that Sin would point to mom-he's afraid of her!"

"And he has a good reason for that," Mim whispered back. Mim knows that mother had once attempted to poison Sin.

Let me digress for a minute. One day, Ula found Sin unconscious in his cage. Without wasting a second, Ula knocked on my door and rushed me to the den.

"Der Vogel! Er ist schon tot!"

"Sin, dead?"

In a half panic, and not knowing what to do I called Mim. Within minutes-Mim lives in Beekman Place, a few blocks away from Sutton Place-she rang the bell. Jabbering in French to Ula, soon she had her opening windows, running fans, and the air conditioning system.

"Grand Ciel!" or "Mon Dieu," Ula kept lamenting.

"Courage, Ula! Un peu de sang froid," urged Mim.

"Ah, C'est vrai. Ne nous affolons pas."

"Et tout ira bien," said Mim.

Next, Mim asked Ula to fetch cotton balls and a gallon of ammonia; and with a swift pass of the pungent compound, the bird opened his eyes, snorted, and gave a weak fluty twit.

"He's alive!" I cried.

"Marie, Reine du Ciel!" Ula exclaimed. " Que Dieu vous benisse!"

Mim held Sin on the palm of her hand and holding him up, her voice cracking, she said:

"Tu wast pas né pour la mort, l'Oiseau immortel!"

With the battalions of attorneys facing each other across the table, the judge --who was indeed a bird lover-- within seconds had Sin responding to his trilling whistle. Then he opened the door and let Sin out. Tense were the seconds that followed; the suspense unbearable. Unfamiliar with the surroundings, the magnificent warbler fluttered in circles perching himself atop of the mast of the American flag.

Father shifted and slid low on his chair, lowering his head as to make his bald spot more visible to Sin. The musty journals and unending rows of dusty law books on the shelves seemed to give off and offending odor that was alien to me.

"Smells terrible-what is it, Mim?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was going to ask you the same thing. Something vile! Like the smell of dead rodents oozing through the walls."

So this is the odor of the other side of love, I thought, of hatred and disillusion. Unable to conceal what was bothering her, Mim murmured in my ear, "Look at your mom's hairdo; she never teases her hair, but today you can see she's fixed it into an old-fashion beehive-how strange!"

Watch Sin land on father's bald spot, I said to myself.  "He'll win for sure."

After a few seconds of hesitant indecision, Sin started to warble a low-toned melody that I couldn't quite recognize; I knew Sin's repertoire by heart, and these chirps and melody sounded not only melancholy, but strange and eerie. For a brief moment I thought I was being transported --along with Sin's music-- to a dimension of eternity in which all beings are but notes on an infinite symphony composed by God. And life seemed to me but a prelude to that eternal opus.

"Good Lord, this is the saddest tune I've ever heard a canary sing!" exclaimed Judge Hofeldt.

My heart stood still as Sin opened his wings.

Sin went straight to mom's side and landed on her head-on top of her beehive.

Judge Hofeldt shot a nasty look at father and his attorneys, as he pronounced: "Sin has made it clear. The canary will remain in the plaintiff's custody!"

If betrayal could be painted, you could have seen its image on father's face. And had I not seen Sin's betrayal with my own eyes, I would never have believed it.

A couple of months afterward, mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and Sin developed a cancerous tumor, so that by mid-year, and on the same day --which ironically was Father's day-- my mom and Sin both died.

According to Mim, Sin chose my mom simply because she had fixed her hair to make it look like a nest and that had tricked Sin. I disagree. I see Sin's siding with my mom not as an act of betrayal to dad who had cared so much for him, but as an act of God. I'm convinced Sin was an angel sent by the good Lord to call mom to his side.

As I wait for Mim at the M57 bus stop on 57th St. and 1st Avenue, I notice that Solly's Pharmacy --which I've known my entire life-- is dark and boarded up. But in the gentle breeze a tiny feather lingers for a second at eye level, and then it glows and soars out of sight.

As we all know, Poker is an entertaining and mind-involving game where various players try their lucks in order to hold their commands on the ultimate poker pot. Gaining the pot is the greatest achievement in the game, where players establish themselves as an experienced in this gambling expertise.

In order to achieve success and fame in gambling, a player needs to have sincere concentration and adequate skills to handle the situation correctly.

Amongst others, discipline is regarded as the major factor that can lead to the victory. Being a main asset to a player, discipline makes a person more productive towards the work and encourages a player to hit the goal in a scheduled time as well.

If your discipline is poor, you should better put your best efforts to improve your skills. Make it a highest priority to improve it so that your game can be improved as well. Being a disciplined player, you’ll be able to gain at the first level and you feel excited about the possibility that you will go on and win the pot.

Often, sheer excitement can make you loose the game and you’ll feel distracted and your attention gets divided, as a result, you may be likely to lose. It is a general observation that, experts in poker possess a very good concentration and discipline. In some cases, beginners usually make bad decisions and crazy & irrational moves actually cost a lot.

In free poker online, discipline is all about making intelligent decisions and firm on them till the game in order to secure your move. As a good player, you need to watch your moves and decide carefully about the moves in the play.

Play Poker Online:

The best advantage of online poker is that millions of players at the virtual tables can join each other and start playing immediately. Beginners can easily observe the moves and start enjoying this straight-forward game.

It's the unique benefit of sports to children. The reasons are numerous, but it is worth mentioning the supreme importance of two.

The first is the physical part, highly recommended by doctors in order to better development with regard to strengthening bone and muscle, accelerated metabolic activity and hence the physical growth. Specifically at the point of delay in growth, it is recommended to practice swimming and martial arts without forgetting that the use of protective equipment that the sport demands is essential to protect the athlete.

The second reason is related intellectual part. In sports the use of the intellect is strongly required, which increases the power of concentration and agility, while maintaining the neurons activated, which is essential for greater speed in the learning process, mainly aged between 0 and 9 years and brings positive consequences in the long term.

The second point concerns the motivational aspect. To be entered in any sport, the child learns lessons in how to react in adverse situations, how to manage an outcome that suits you, how to face opponents considered larger than themselves, among other situations.

In all these, just past topics is natural as learning basic features, both for an athlete, as for a sedentary. These include: discipline, having scheduled time and a goal to be accomplished, that particular day's training or competition, level of competitiveness, if one thinks that only one can win out and that the opportunity to do so depends upon the performance that competition period; sportsmanship by acknowledging what was done as much, but if one day the victory did not come, another opportunity will come, then the chance may not be used to let it go, obedience, especially to the technical that is, or should be, as part of motivational support and motivator, able to take her to not giving up, when the frustrations come.

On such points should be kept as close to balance, so that the physical and psychological can be worked in the same bracket, and thus assist the athlete in both sports, as in life.

The sport is a practical and enjoyable from what could be a situation faced off the field, mats and swimming pools, for example, an opportunity to enter the job market.

Latitude 28

Stall no. A04,

Hall no. 7,

India Art summit,

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

From - August 19, 2009 to August 22, 2009.

All set to make a splash in the second edition of India Art Summit, art curator and historian Bhavna Kakar brings forth an eclectic mix of artists under her new art venture Latitude 28. With an art education background from Baroda, it was expected that the curator-turned-gallerist would choose to represent some of the most interesting young Baroda artists during her first-time participation in the summit

Baroda apart, what gives this exhibit a special place at the Summit is that it would be the only gallery showing works of the self-confessed homosexual Bhupen Khakhar whose famed portraiture work would be on display. In addition, Latitude 28 would also be showcasing Karachi-born artist and diva Nasreen Mohamedi’s pen and ink drawings on Japanese card paper, apart from bringing to India for the first time video works of three renowned Vietnamese artists.

Says Bhavna Kakar, curator & Director, Latitude 28: “India Art Summit is a wonderful platform to showcase the collection of our new venture, Latitude 28 and interact with the art fraternity. The gallery is committed to featuring evocative and challenging art in a variety of mediums and is happy to be able to introduce to the Indian art market different genres of not only Indian but international art practices. Besides showing veterans like Jogen Chowdhury, Bhupen Khakhar and Nasreen Mohamedi, our aim is to highlight new-age art by younger luminaries like Surekha and Prajjwal Choudhury.”

The artists are: Jogen Chowdhury, Bhupen Khakhar, Nasreen Mohamedi, Sonia Mehra Chawla, Prajjwal Choudhury, Rajesh Ram, Surekha, , Arunkumar HG, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Phu Nam Thuc Ha and Thi Trinh Nguyen.

While both Bhupen Khakhar and Nasreen Mohamedi were associated with M.S.University, Baroda, the latter in the capacity of a teacher, the aesthetics in their work is unique to each.

Honoured with the Padma Shri in 1984, Bhupen Khakhar was a self-taught artist, who quit the flourishing profession of chartered accountancy to move to Baroda, against the wishes of his family members. Despite the lack of a formal training, Khakhar started mapping his own peculiar style gorging on the kitsch aesthetic of the streets and households of Gujarat. Later, his paintings increasingly turned towards the theme of homosexuality in a largely conservative Indian society. Some of his paintings at the Summit, titled Portrait, Big Head and The Banyan Tree, unleash the artist’s mirthful take on sexuality and society.

Unlike Khakhar’s bold, figurative canvases, Nasreen Mohamedi’s style is known to be subtle and abstract. Her last major exposition was at Documenta, Germany. The gallery has selected black and white geometrical drawings from Mohamedi’s body of work which beautifully complement Khakhar’s colourful palette.

Born in Karachi in 1937, Nasreen was known for her Zen-like minimalist accent from the very start of her career. In the 60s and 70s, she was perhaps one of the few women in the exclusive male domain of high modernism in India striving to evolve a distinct aesthetic vocabulary of her own. She is often associated with the Minimalist artist Agnes Martin whose quality of works are defined by the pristine textural touches arranged along the gridded lines carefully drawn by hand invoking effect of hand weaving. Though much is not known about the early works of the artist who passed away in 1990, her poetic diary entries have been the main source of assimilating strands of her vision. Nasreen’s diary notes make mention of interactions with artists like V.S. Gaitonde and Tyeb Mehta at the Bhulabhai Desai Institute who made a profound impact on her.  In 1971, when she joined the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda as a teaching staff, interactions with Jeram Patel, who also in his own distinct ways was fathoming an abstract style, mustered strength for extending her own practice.

Women Exposing her Teeth is the title of the work by yet another veteran Jogen Chowdhury who has been widely acknowledged as the master of the unbroken line. The figure is the prominent source of most of his works. Jogen Chowdhury’s ability to juxtapose contrary emotions, the real and imaginary and the known and unknown, make his art not only a form of self expression but a reflection of a collective and subjective consciousness.

While these exclusive paintings of veterans are aimed to attract attention of avid art collectors, video works from the younger artists are equally promising. Says Bhavna Kakar:  “The videos will be showcased in the video lounge during the summit and bear a context specific to their nation. But in a global society, where each is striving for peace and progress, realizing the concerns and aesthetic idiom of this militarily stirred region becomes vital in the process.”

For instance, artist Thi Trinh Nguyen from Vietnam presents a video work titled Spring Comes Winter After 2009 that observes the funeral of Le Dat. (A Vietnamese poet who was part of a 1950s literary and intellectual movement in Northern Vietnam called ‘Nhan Van-Giai Pham’, which criticized life under communism. He was later banned from publishing for three decades, and it was not until 2007 that the Vietnamese government decided to grant him a prestigious national award in an effort to reconcile the grievances of the past.) Explains the artist: “As the avant-garde artists like this poet were forced to be silent, Vietnamese art and literature suffered decades of decay. In this short documentary film, the camera focuses on the grief of those in attendance of the funeral of this celebrated poet, many of whom are Vietnam’s contemporary established writers and intellectuals.” Thi’s camera however rolls time in reverse, the procession of people reverentially moving around Le Dat’s coffin depicted in rewind. This reversal of time could refer to Thi’s many interviews with Le Dat before he died where he once said that it was a common feeling among many of his generation that youth was completely lost and wasted away. By reversing time in Spring comes Winter after, Thi wishes his youth to be returned to him.

Vietnamese video artists Tuan Andrew Nguyen and Phu Nam Thuc Ha create a joint video projection with the word Uh... written as a graffiti tag on various public walls throughout Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As passersby stroll past and traffic whizzes along the streets, a realization sinks in that being viewed is a suggestive trail that meanders across strategically focused detailed images of various government compound walls in Ho Chi Minh City. This work explores not only Vietnam's shifting landscapes, both cultural and physical, but also questions the reality of change.

Exploring the similar genre of video art is Three Fragmented Actions of Silence by Surekha that depicts an autobiographical transition from the real self to image. Divided into two horizontal frames, the top half of the video contains the artist taking out rose petals one by one from her mouth and pasting it to the actual stem, as if creating flower is a humane act. In the lower half, it is the same reverse scene in negative of eating petals, tilted up side down. The dual positive & negative image of the artist eating & recreating a flower echoes in the veiling and unveiling of her face. Her other video titled Bhagirathi Bringing Water, shot within a domestic space, transgresses to make a real, living space into immediate metaphoric artistic location. Here, the protagonist is in a bath tub and is facing the trail posed by the lonely and nostalgic camera, and desires to picturize that which was stored in the memories of one’s childhood.

Apart from the video works, an interesting collage of paintings and installations by other young artists are equally noteworthy. For example, Sonia Mehra Chawla’s mixed media on canvas titled Membrane is about an ongoing debate between the individual and the constantly changing urban locations. The display of her 8.5ft by 5ft sized work is a prelude to Sonia’s upcoming solo show in Mumbai. Her work essentially investigates and explores layers and complexities that are manifest within the urban and the biomorphic.  The forms are at once generative and sensuous, macabre and degenerate, opulent and awe-inspiring and carry within them the force of the living and the vulnerability of decay. The vein-like trees and skeletal cow in the work become a metaphor for the pain of mindless urbanization.

Coming to the genre of installations, artist Arunkumar H.G’s work is a 3-feet tall Superman which he calls The Super B. Trained as a sculptor from Baroda, Arunkumar works in various disciplines, including photography and toy design. His use of readymade objects such as toys, plastic, ceramics, cow dung, hay and TV monitors gives us a glimpse of his susceptibility towards the neo-pop movement. His toy-like, yet intricate sculptural works often convey a simple message. Sometimes, however, Arunkumar switches the dynamics of this relationship, creating works that physically appear basic, but convey a complex message quite contrary to their appearance.

Artist Prajjwal Choudhury in his work titled Everything has been done before, but we would like to go back and begin all over again, sets up a recycling machine apparently operating as a kinetic conditioned to reprocess and reproduce matchboxes. He says: “There will be 2000 match boxes placed inside the mixer which will be falling on a moving steel plate. All the match boxes will be accumulated together and once the mixer is empty they will go back into the mixer by vacuum process so the process of recycling begins.” It is obvious that Prajjwal is at war with the way in which everyday objects are taken for granted. He gathers his preliminary fuel from such objects like matchboxes to engineer his thought-provoking creations. These matchboxes filled in the recycling machine carry a realistic visual appeal, but with a wry humor, deceiving the onlooker. The cover of the matchboxes carries images of the works of the world-famous artists-Andy Warhol, Picasso, Damien Hirst, Marcel Duchamp, Salvador Dali, Dhruva Mistry, Jitish Kallat, Subodh Gupta and Atul Dodiya.

On the other hand, Rajesh Ram aptly weaves his aesthetic configurations with deadpan satire in his work tilted Pothi padhi padhi jag muah pandit hua na koye dhai akshar prem ke pade so pandit hoye. Made out of tangible objects like books, the artist manipulates their shapes to delineate hearts accentuated from their background, enunciating the saga of love and tolerance in a bigoted society. The artist also in an uncanny way gears up to promote the national language Hindi’s proverbial bywords by stressing on its meaningful connotation.

LATITUDE 28 is a new venture under the direction of Bhavna Kakar, a Delhi-based expert in Modern and Contemporary Art with a special focus on the Indian subcontinent. Committed to giving a platform to young talent, LATITUDE 28 encourages broad-based practices ranging from painting and sculpture, to photography, video and installations.

By anticipating trends and spotting latent talent, LATITUDE 28 is committed to host not only exhibitions in the white cube of a gallery space, but also by supporting residencies, outreach programs, seminars, and talks. Take on art! is the art magazine launched under the same banner, a bold initiative in today’s recessionary times that sets Latitude 28 apart from the regular commercial set up.

LATITUDE 28 has exhibited an eclectic mix of contemporary artists like Justin Ponmany, Atul Bhalla, Prajakta Palav, Manjunath Kamath, George Martin, Sandeep Pisalkar, Farhad Hussain, Binu Bhaskar, Niyeti Chadha, Sakshi Gupta, Minal Damani, Apurba Nandi, Pooja Iranna, Alok Bal, and seniors like Bhupen Khakhar, Nasreen Mohamedi, Ganesh Haloi, Prabhakar Kolte, G R Santosh amongst others in India and international venues like Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and London.

Your ability to involve yourself in moneymaking ventures may have everything to do with discipline and practical application.

For instance if you want to be an expert at marketing and you want others to pay you to help them launch a great marketing campaign then you need to know a lot about marketing. In fact, you need to keep updating your skills.

If you offer a skill you need to be disciplined enough to expand your knowledge on the subject. It may not be enough to simply learn a skill and indicate you know everything there is to know on the subject. You may need to continuously learn new facets to the service you offer.

The thing that can set you apart from the competition is that as you gain advanced knowledge on the subject matter you specialize in you may begin to detect patterns and trends that may be meaningful in how you do business and how you help your customers. Your insight may prove beneficial to your clients.

I suppose for some service oriented businesses there may be less of a need for ongoing skills training, but when you discipline yourself to become an authority in your field your business will likely be seen as more valuable and trusted.

One of my skills is marketing so I discipline myself to spend time each day in researching new ways to market ideas, products and services. By taking the time to do that I come to a place where it becomes easier to detect innovation from basic marketing information. It can even become easy to spot articles on marketing that may be off the mark and then explain why this idea may not work from a practical standpoint.

In other words I have become a marketing geek. Most people don't care and possibly think I am being a bit obsessive when it comes to the subject and yet the information I have learned has helped me in building my own businesses. It has helped me assist others in doing the same thing.

Know more than you have to know. Learn more than you have to learn. In many cases you will be able to spot problems before they become huge issues for your clients. Your increased knowledge often means being able to provide unique insight that goes beyond basic skills.

What's more is that when you gain increased skills you also gain another potential moneymaking idea. When you grow into an expert status you can begin to sell your expertise to a secondary market. This is often made possible through the development and sale of an ebook on the subject or the development of a seminar.

Many people want to know more about a multitude of subjects, but they don't have the patience and/or discipline to glean that information from multiple sources. You can take your disciplined approach to business and help others make sense of following a similar path to success in a one-stop shop atmosphere.

Can you spare a few minutes a day to learn more about your chosen field? Can you use the building blocks of learning to develop innovative ways to help others? Your answers could improve your overall ability to make money.

Article from: My Family UK

Music education classes can enrich the life of an adult or child in many ways. Children who learn a musical instrument or sing usually perform better on test scores at school.

Music and the family

Learning a musical instrument is a great way to help focus your child's mind, and start unlocking new channels of creativity. The whole family can benefit from this sort of musical education, as you will watch your child learn and develop, but also be there to encourage them and help them practice. If you're still unsure, read the following explanations, and see if you feel differently.

1) Self-confidence

For those who have music education classes in school, learning an instrument and playing in a band can be lots of fun. Children as young as eight or nine can be taught how to play a variety of instruments. Bands usually have concerts on a regular basis where the children can play for their parents and others in the school. Interaction during classes and a performance in front of an audience allows the child to build their social skills, and be rewarded with praise for their efforts.

2) Quick thinking

Learning about the value of notes, time signatures, and exits and entrances helps develop the rapid response system of the brain. Translating the notes into hand positions and the beats into seconds will also improve focus, add to mathematical skills, and improve the brain's analytical faculty.

3) Stress Reduction

Music has widely been regarded as an effective mean to reduce stress. In fact, this is one of the reasons that make music education so popular. Many people actually feel calmer and cheerful when playing music, including children. However, heavy metal or rock music tends to have the reverse effect on many people and it is generally not suitable as a mean for stress reduction.

4) Independence

If there is no music education program offered at a child's school, their parents can opt to send the child to private lessons. This are just as beneficial, but in a different way. Instead of being part of a band, the child will have to learn to rely on themself when it comes to getting notes right, timing, and the discipline of practising. Of course, their parent can play a large role in this particular area.

Further Information

For further information, and for more great ways to have fun with your family, log on to www.myfamilyuk.com. With a huge collection of articles covering everything from child safety to rainy day activities, you'll find all the help, guidance and entertainment you need to be a great parent. Go now!

As outlined beautifully in the book ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’, a good businessman needs good advisors. One of them will be a good, professionally certified accountant. When someone is starting a business, you will most likely not need a full time accountant. Also not sure if a good accountant, well versed in the skills and practices would join a new business. So most likely you will lean on finding a professional accountant. Most of them have an advanced professional degree.

A degree, however, does not mean that person is competent. Accounting, first and foremost, needs an attitude. If the person is not good with organizing systems definition and compliance, he, in my opinion, cannot be a good accountant. The person should also endeavor to do accounts to ensure the fall benefits from tax and statutory authorities that are available within law.

An accountant for a startup can play a key role in ensuring compliance with financial laws. In this role, he can advise the client on implications. By ensuring proper filing of forms, adequate record keeping and storing of transactions, they play a key role in helping the owners focus on the business, i.e. find and keep customers.

Well kept records and financials help the business person from getting overly involved in the highly time consuming accounting process. Also, various statutory organizations require reports, data and impose submission of forms. A good accountant can help take this load of the business man. This may look trivial, but bear in mind that the first year or two in business means a lot of work and sleep deprivation. Studies have shown that the setup years of a new business is equal to having new born child in the family.

By now you know how accountants can help take the routine but important activities of your plate.

However, finding a good accountant is not easy. The following will help you -

• They should be competent in tax and accounting laws.

• Most accounts work involves repetitive tasks. They should know how to create systems and processes so that work can happen accurately and quickly.

• They should be very detailed oriented. That is why they are called bean counters.

• Beware of accountants who are very salesy. In general it is very difficult to be both salesy and detailed oriented.

• They should know the implications of treating transactions in a certain way. A good accountant will help save taxes by recording transactions properly (within laws) to get your business the benefits that are due to you.

• They should, above all, know what matters are strictly enforced by statutory organizations and authorities and make sure you follow them.

Most good accountants have modest but well maintained offices. They are not shabby and they are not fancy. They have staff that is disciplined and follow procedures. Good accountants are well organized and will understand the value of your time and handle things quickly and efficiently.

I was motivated to write this note after seeing a very unpleasant experience faced by a close friend while dealing with an unprofessional chartered accountant in India. That experience motivated me to write this article. Hope you find this useful and you have good luck in finding an accountant who lets you focus on building your business.

Obama College Grants For Moms

 Free Money Is Available now Government Grants

You may have wondered what government grants are,Visit Here Now http://forgrant-sloan-org.blogspot.com

 further if there is a approach for you to get parcel central through one of these grants. What are the requirements to receive a oversight yes and leave the grants have to speak for repaid are some inconsistent casual questions about these monetary grants. Here are some fleet facts to acclimate you to grants, who is eligible further contrasting useful facts.

What Are Government Grants?

While there are a lot of people who say that government grants are waiting for anyone and everyone to get free money, there is more to it than that. The federal strings does not have an motivate pocketbook that everyone can step up and take whatever they need from it. Grants do offer money, but there are obligations and requirements that think to be met before any money is paid outward. Typically, a government grant is awarded to an job or group of people to assist keep from a project like property renovations or repairs.

How Do Organizations Get Government Grants?

For state government grants able are a lot of stipulations and rules that rest assured to be followed. To use for government grants acknowledged are predefined steps that longing be taken. You cannot simply rewrite a letter to your congressman and ask because money. If an organization is serious about getting a grant to fill some nature of legitimate need, they usually hire a grant proposal writer who is well-versed in all of the intricacies of applying as also getting these grants.Grants Can Help IndividualsWhile most government grants are not personal grants that leave bestow a person a loan per se, efficient are grants that guilt help kinsfolk in particular circumstances. A person that is in the process of buying a home, and meets certain, government-defined criteria, may exhibit eligible for control housing grants. crack are also grants as educational pursuits. discipline college grants care offer financial aid to people that are qualified.There Is Always A Catch

While government grants are, technically, free money, there are mild regulations that must be followed and details to that must be adhered to. It's true, too, that government grants do not regard to sell for repaid. Regulations, obligations, terms and technicalities expand in the world of attaining government grants. Professional grant writers and grant seekers are usually those who are best pragmatic to tracking down and applying considering these loans. If you have a inherent rapture or belong to an multinational that has needs and are eligible, crack are government grants that just may pop up your way. sound helps to reckon on a professional or someone that really understands the process to enact your force subscribe bid accepted.Government grants are, in fact, unshackle money, guidance that you don't have to pay the government back. The downside is that these grants can be difficult to find further may have a set of stipulations that the hackneyed individual is now aware of.Practice sufficient judgment and discernment before you being the application process for containment grants.Visit Here Now http://forgrant-sloan-org.blogspot.com

Are you someone who is interested in making money at home but just doesn’t know how to start? When we refer to home based business, the first thing that comes to mind is to work at the comfort of your own home. Nobody is managing you and you are your own boss. Sounds great right? However, you need to have what it takes to be successfully making money from home.

So what are the areas you should be looking into before you start your home based business?

• A Proper Home Office
Although you are working from home, a proper home office is still a requirement. You don’t want to work on your bed or dinner table, do you? As most of the time you will be alone, your office space doesn’t have to be big. As long as you have a proper desk with a proper chair, a desktop or a laptop, internet connection and a telephone, you should be fully equipped. Preferably, use a room with or near a bathroom, you don’t want to go too far in order to answer to the nature calls as it can be a waste of time.    

• Avoid any Distraction
When you are doing work, you should block out all distractions to stay productive. If you are a parent with very young children, you should first ensure that they are taken care of by another adult. You may also like to consider sending them to child care centre or babysitter’s home for a few hours a day so that you can focus on your work.

If you are a parent of older children, explain to them about your home based business. You have to let them understand that you are not available at certain part of the day because you are working. Unless there is any emergency, you should not be disturbed. In this way, you are also training your children to be more independent and responsible.

• Self-discipline
Self-discipline plays a very important role in making your every endeavour successful. Likewise, you need self-discipline in order to be successfully making money from home.

It is very important to draw up a schedules especially when you are managing your own-self. Schedules should be followed through to ensure your job is done in time. In spite of the fact that most people who work from home enjoy the flexibility of working hours, you should be self-discipline enough to start and end your work at certain fixed timing. If you are the customer, will you trust someone who cannot be located when you need some information from him or her urgently? Likewise, you have to be make yourself available during your working hours in order for your customers to place trust in you.

In order to be successfully making money at home, you need to have what it takes to be a home businessperson. You have to set your own goals, draw up your schedules, self-discipline and be strict to yourself in order to be efficient in your work. Remember, no one is breathing down your neck, so you need to be effectively managing yourself.

Kids today eat more and exercise less than the last generation, and this is poised to continue unless something changes. One of the best things you can do for your children’s health is to get them moving and teach them the value of physical activity. Numerous studies have shown that regular childhood exercise is one of the leading indicators of good, lifelong health habits.

If you were an active child who loved playing sports and on the playground, you probably still do something to stay in shape today - but do you involve your children in these activities? If not, you are not doing all you can to prepare your children to lead healthy, adult lives. Show your children you care about exercise – take them with you on walks. They may not want to start jogging right away, but if you take your toddlers on short walks with you now, they will get used to the idea of exercising.

For children to stay in shape, they need about an hour of physical activity every day. What type of activity depends on the child’s age, temperament, and interests. Check out the recommendations below to help find the right activity for the children in your family.

Toddlers and kids up to 5 years old are not ready for intense, organized sports or games with many rules. Choose games that are simple and easy to play, like “Hide and Go Seek” or “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Encourage physical activity that will develop balance and agility such as running, jumping, climbing, and sliding. Trips to the playground to climb on a jungle gym or swing are also good options.

6 to 8 year-old children can understand rules that are more complex and are ready to learn new skills. You can begin instilling a sense of teamwork and competition in them, although pushing too much competitive drive at a young age is not a good idea. Encourage children to cooperate and help each other in small groups. Organize informal games at the local playground or park with other kids the same age to get your children used to socializing and playing with others.

When it comes to sports, enroll your child in a sport that he or she shows a genuine interest in and let him or her take the lead. While teaching your child to follow-through with commitments is great, don’t force your child to stay on a team if they are not enjoying the sport. Let your child try a few sports before you ask them to commit. Children this age may take some time to find the right sport for their personality – but once they have found it, they tend to love it for a lifetime.

Around ages 6 to 8 is also when most children learn how to ride a bike, skateboard, and inline skate. All of these activities will encourage balance, muscle development, and hand-eye coordination, as well as cardiovascular health and overall physical fitness. Remember to invest in the appropriate safety gear, including helmets and pads, and make sure the kids wear them all the time.

9 to 12 year-olds tend to develop interests that are more specific. Many will still be interested in playgrounds and swings, but around ages 9-12, many kids become active in organized sports. Many will begin to focus on a particular sport or activity they find is their favorite. Encourage your adolescent to develop his or her skills and interests, and support them at practices, matches, and games. Make sure they have qualified coaches and are completing the proper strength training. Most importantly, make sure they are having fun!

If team sports don’t interest your child, invite them to try individual sports like karate or tennis. Hiking or rock climbing is an excellent alternative for the nature-loving child who loves solitude and contemplation, and swimming is a good option if your child loves the water. What form the exercise takes is not as important as whether your child enjoys the activity and sticks with it throughout the years.

Teens can participate in almost any sport they choose, and usually throw themselves into activities with great enthusiasm. Competition and team spirit comes to the forefront at this stage, and sports can become a driving force in your teenager’s life. Activities like waterskiing and snowboarding are popular with teens because they require self-discipline and allow them to develop and apply advanced skills. Likewise, passion for their favorite team sports may carry over from their adolescent years, and activities like dancing or cheerleading may take on new importance. Be supportive.

If your teen is interested, weight training can be added to existing exercise programs to add muscle tone and definition, as long as an adult supervises it. If your teen has access to a gym or health club, encourage him or her to work with a personal trainer to learn how to lift weights properly.

The best way to motivate your children to exercise is by example. Play physical games with them and show your excitement for outdoor activities and sports. When young, take your children to the playground, climb on the jungle gym and swing on the swings. As they mature, challenge them to excel in their favorite sports – shoot basketballs, volley on a tennis court, or pitch baseballs with them.

No matter activity you choose, as long as you get moving with your kids, you will all live longer, healthier lives, not to mention have a lifetime of memories to share.

Don't Just Dream; Execute By Setting Goals

By Lynnette Khalfani

Author of The Money Coach's Guide to Your First Million

Too many people dream of becoming a millionaire but have no real plan for how to achieve it. Well, you can't become a millionaire just by dreaming, wanting, or wishing for wealth. As you develop the framework for your millionaire's budget, think about planning for the future and reaching some of your bigger goals. So many times we get caught up in daily tasks and activities that we forget about setting substantive goals for the future. But in order to accrue substantial wealth, it's essential that you write out your short-, medium-, and long-range goals. Some of you may not have thought about your own goals much lately. Perhaps your life has been consumed by your children's world; their needs and wants always come first, and you constantly put your desires on the back burner. It's a mistake to do that. Financially speaking, you can get yourself so wrapped up in another person—whether that individual is your child, partner, or parent—that you neglect yourself and fail to engage in smart, practical financial planning. You don't want to look up 20 years from now and think that you should have managed your money better when you were younger.

To immediately improve how you handle your finances and make a giant leap toward becoming a millionaire, one of the most important things you can do is to write out your personal goals. This one act alone will help you build a foundation for a lifetime of wealth. If you are married or in a committed relationship, I suggest you do this exercise with your partner. Write your individual goals first, and then share your goals with the other person. Ultimately, we are all individuals with our own unique dreams and ambitions. Yet, for those of us involved with significant others, it's crucial that you make a habit of setting— and reaching—your goals together.

I want you to think of your goals in the context of how long it will be before these goals can be realized. Short-term goals should be something that you can accomplish in a relatively brief period of time, say in one to two years, at most. Medium-term goals can be classified as those that require two to ten years to accomplish. Long-range goals are those that require ten years or more to fulfill. To jump start your thinking, I've included a laundry list of goals below. Some of these may be relevant to you; others may hold no significance. The idea, however, is to give yourself permission to focus on the things you want to accomplish in the future—goals you may never have acknowledged to yourself, let alone written down or verbalized to someone else. Among the goals you might pursue are:

Eliminating credit card debt.

Buying a new home.

Saving for a college education.

Investing for retirement.

Starting a business.

Establishing a cash cushion.

Paying for a wedding.

Saving for a new baby.

Purchasing a vacation home.

Traveling around the world.

Buying a boat.

Paying off student loans.

Making a large contribution to church, synagogue, etc.

Buying a new car or a second car.

One of the most important things you can do to reach your goal of becoming a millionaire is to write out your personal goals.

The Write Way

No matter what your goals, you should know that writing out your plans gives you a far better shot at making them happen. In fact, written goal-setting is a phenomenally powerful act as demonstrated by a number of high-profile cases.

A compelling example of the power of written goal-setting is represented in a 1979 survey of Harvard University students which found that 84 percent of them did not set goals. Another 13 percent of them did set goals, but didn't bother to write them down. And only 3 percent of the graduating class had written goals and an action plan. Ten years later, researchers resurveyed the group. The 13 percent with unwritten goals were earning double the income of those with no goals. But here's the whopper: the 3 percent of the student population with written goals earned 10 times as much as the other 97 percent!

Clearly, written goals are important. But do you realize how it is that written goals are able to propel you to reach success? Here are a few reasons why goal-setting works: |

PURPOSE: Goals give your daily and long-term actions meaning and purpose. This helps you stay motivated when you realize that you're engaging in certain financial behaviors for a reason and not just randomly acting.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Goals also make you accountable. If you find that you're regularly falling short of your goals, it could be that you're not really committed to them.

STRUCTURE: Goals provide a framework or structure from which you can operate and achieve your objectives. Many of us need this structure to plug away at reaching our goals, especially long range visions.

DISCIPLINE: Goals spur you along to be consistent and disciplined in your actions since you know that a lack of discipline on your part will cause you to deviate from your plans, thereby jeopardizing your chances of hitting your goals.

SPECIFICITY: Goal-setting forces you to not just think about what you want in general terms, but to write down your aims in concrete terms. Adding the element of specificity to your goals makes you far more effective in taking the practical steps required to reach your objectives.

Written goals give you purpose, make you accountable, make your financial plan concrete, supply you with a discipline to follow, and identify specific areas to focus on.

Setting Smart Goals

Your goals have to matter to you. They have to be achievable. You want to push yourself and stretch to achieve a goal without putting it so far out of reach that you become disillusioned and give up. Remember, failure is not an option for a Millionaire-in-Training. And I believe|

that's what you are if you're reading this book and taking this advice seriously. I'm also a believer in setting the appropriate type of goals. SMART is an acronym that describes goals that are:

Specific

Measurable

Action-oriented

Realistic

Time-bound

Specific goals are the exact opposite of vague, hazy dreams. With the latter, someone might say, "I want to be rich," or, "I want to save money for my kid's college education." Those are just general wishes, and chances are they won't be fulfilled. But the person who sets a specific goal would define (in writing) exactly what "rich" means from his or her point of view, as in "I want to have a net worth of $5 million." A specific goal regarding college savings might be: "I want to save $80,000 for my son's college tuition."

When you make goals measurable, you quantify the objective you're seeking. In doing so, you ensure accountability and track your progress. For instance, to know where you're going, you have to know your starting point. So if one of your goals is to have no debt, you need to know how much debt you currently have. If you add up your credit card bills and they total $20,000, then you make your goal measurable by writing down something to the effect that, "Over the next two years, I want to eliminate my $20,000 in debt." In light of this goal, you know that after one year, if you're staying on task, you should be able to measure your progress and find that you've knocked out half of your debt, or $10,000.

Action-oriented goals require you to do something, not just think about doing something. Not weigh your options. Not analyze a certain situation. Not research possibilities, and so forth. No, in |order for the goal to carry weight, you must act upon it. So let's say you initially thought that, "I want to start a business," was a goal. That's far too vague. You have to amend that statement and write something along the lines of: "By the end of the month, I want to create a business plan for my new interior design business." This way, you know you actually have to draw up the business plan. If you look up sample business plans on the Internet or investigate what lenders want in a business plan, that's fine as a prerequisite to what you have to do. But ultimately, it's the actual writing of your business plan that you need to accomplish.

Realistic goals are neither too ambitious nor too easy to accomplish. If you set the bar so high that it's impossible to reach your goal, you're only setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. By all means, make your goals challenging to reach, but be realistic in your expectations. Here's a case in point. Let's say one of your goals is to return to college and obtain an MBA. You already have a Bachelor of Arts degree, and you know that the MBA program you want to attend typically takes two years for the average fulltime student to complete. If you work 40 hours a week, will take courses only part time, and can study only on the weekends, don't expect to finish the MBA program in 18 months. Given the confines of your situation, a more realistic yet still challenging goal might be: "I want to earn my MBA in two and a half years."

Any worthwhile goal is time-bound and includes a deadline by which the goal should be met. When you include a deadline, you make your goal time-bound. Therefore, it's not good enough to say: "I plan to buy a new home." Instead, when writing out your SMART goal, put down something like: "Two years from now, I plan to put down a 10 percent down payment toward the purchase a $450,000 Tudor home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms." This goal is clearly specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic for many people, and time-bound.

From The Money Coach's Guide to Your First Million by Lynnette Khalfani; Published by McGraw Hill April 2006; ISBN: 0071470816 copyright 2006