Finding the Best Divorce Support Groups Available Online

You are going through a divorce and are probably having a difficult time reconciling your feelings of freedom and relief against those of fear and isolation. You may even be experiencing feelings of guilt and shame, and you need to know that each of these feelings is totally valid - it's okay to feel them. What is not okay is to try to deal with something that you are not doing so well with on your own, so opting to join one of the myriad of divorce support groups that are available may be a good solution for you. It could be a way to get you through a painful period of your life and help you to move on to more positive days.

Because you are reading this online, it means that you are comfortable in seeking help in this forum, and finding one of the literally thousands of divorce support groups on the Internet is just a mouse-click away. What you really need to do, however, is to find one that is going to be right for you. One that suits your personality, temperament, time constraints and comfort level. If the group itself makes you uncomfortable, it will be unlikely to provide the support and help you need during this time. You will first need to find your comfort zone by asking yourself a few questions.

Are you a socially active person who prefers face-to-face meetings, or even telephone calls over e-mails and other electronic correspondence? If so, you will likely fare better in a personal divorce support groups setting. If you crave hugs and physical pats on the arm or back, then attending personal meetings in your area will give you more of the type of support you may need. If this is the case, enter the words, "divorce support groups" into your web browser's search engine and add your Zip Code in order to find groups that meet near you. Consider the meeting locations, as well, as some people are more comfortable meeting in a church anteroom than in a hotel conferencing room or the back room of a local business or clinic more info. Consider the size and economic status of most of the group participants, too, if these are issues with which you identify. Sometimes it is important for people to feel like they belong to the group in general before they will open up enough for the group to be of benefit to them.

Are you a very private person who prefers to remain anonymous while getting answers to your questions and reassurance from others? If this describes you, then you may be more comfortable joining one of the divorce support groups that are offered on line. And, if this is the case, then it doesn't matter where the headquarters for such groups are physically located, you will have the option of joining and participating from almost anywhere. When considering this option, do a little research into who started the site - was it a credentialed divorce counselor or other counselor with experience in the feelings that come with a divorce? Making sure that you're dealing with one of the many divorce support groups that has direction provided by someone with proper credentials can make a big difference in the level of support you receive, and won't leave you in a group that seems to be floundering about for answers because there is no direction available from someone who is competent to provide it.

Whether you opt for brick-and-mortar meetings or on-line sharing, joining one of the divorce support groups that are there to help you makes good sense. There is no reason to suffer through this alone.

Breakup Youth Group Cliques

Cliques and gossip will creep into your youth group unless you take an active stance against them. Popular culture and social behavior has become so dominate, and some church culture so compliant, that your youth group can simply become a reflection of "the world" without a strong Godly effort on your part. No where is this more apparent than in the way the students interact with each other. With all the news that bullying is getting, we should take a look at what is happening with "bullying" inyour youth group.

There is no bullying in your youth group...right? There is probably no punching, hitting, or overt name calling, but, if you are not working to prevent it, Christian teens will simply transfer their public school social hierarchy to the youth group setting. The "in" group at school will be the "in" group at youth group. The popular guys and athletes from school will dominate all your "games" and activities. They will do this instinctively.

"Bullying" within Christian youth groups tends to be limited to gossip, cliques, and exclusion. Exclusion is the most subtle, most difficult to spot and probably the most hurtful. When teens practice exclusion they physically, verbally and emotionally "block out" those kids they don't deem as acceptable. It isn't that they hit them or verbally abuse them...they simply ignore them. And, most don't even know they are doing it.

At your next activity, watch your teens. Really watch them. Is there that same group of girls that huddles tightly in the corner? It there a group of "alpha males" that dominates all the interaction and activities? Is there a group of teens that sits quietly, not talking, stuck together by default? Does your group "self segregate" along social economic or racial lines? Do you get complaints of gossiping? Is there a youth that simply wanders form group to group, not really engaging in conversation or interaction? Are there any teens standing or sitting alone? If you answered yes to a few of the above then you have a "cliquey" youth group that will not grow. Why would a visitor feel comfortable when teens that have been coming for years do not feel comfortable and are not included?

The first thing you must do is verbally address the issue. Do it. Use scripture to support what you are doing. My favorites are Mt: 7.3 and 1st Sam 16:7. However, leading a Bible study or preaching a sermon alone will not put an end to cliquey behavior. I have several ideas that will help you create a more loving and accepting youth group. At first it will be an effort and then it will become your youth group's culture. Don't just verbally address cliques: break them up. I break up the cliques when I seat or create groups. You can do this anytime you are about to do an activity that requires any type of social grouping: eating a meal, riding in the van, crafts, or games.

Simply "break up" the cliques before they settle into an activity or file onto the bus, etcetera. I stride over and say something like, "You always sit together, let's make some new friends", and then I point out who goes where. "It's time to get out of our comfort zones," I declare and move on. Or I make an announcement that will cause "clique breakup", "Everyone sits with someone from a different school/grade level/neighborhood." If you don't do this they will simply group themselves in the same social hierarchy over and over again more info. This approach looks rather forced in print, but the teens will "reorganize" with your direction. They know their little cliques are boring, repetitive and ungodly, they just can't stop themselves. They need your help.

I always break up cliques the morning after I've performed my show; "The Redneck Was Right." This show is about acceptance, making new friends by reaching out, and God's desire that we not judge one another by outward appearance, speech, or economic status. When performed exclusively for youth, I use it to fight youth group cliques, gossip, racism and prejudice. I love performing this show at the first day of camp because it clears the air and gets camp started off on a positive note. I meet the teens as they come out of the chow line at breakfast the morning after the show. I make the pronouncement, "You will sit with someone that you don't usually sit with." I then make sure it happens. I will guide a large football player and have him sit with a quite clarinet player. I will guide one of the "in" girls and have her sit with a "quite girl." I will mix and match, seating teens outside their comfort zones. Some of the youth will be uncomfortable with this, but they will talk to each other. (They are teens after all) It's a beautiful thing; teens that have been going to group for years and have never spoken will find they have something in common...all because you took a stand and pushed them out of their comfort zones.

Is HHO Gas "Free Energy"?

With all the products hitting the market, positioned as solutions for our record gas prices, the one getting the most attention lately is the technology that claims to allow you to run your car on water. You may have seen the TV news clips that have been passed around the internet. An inventor from Florida, named Denny Klein, has produced a type of welder that uses a gas called HHO to cut and weld metals. The interesting thing is that the machine creates HHO gas on an as-needed basis from a tank of water. The machine accomplishes this through a process called water electrolysis. Electricity is passed through the tank of water, dissociating the hydrogen and oxygen molecules. When the gas is burned, water is produced.

What does this have to do with me? I'm not a welder?

Neither am I. But the technology has more applications than just welding. Mr. Klein has also used this technology to create a gasoline/water hybrid vehicle out of a 1995 Ford Escort wagon. Yes, it has been tested and documented. The technology actually works.

Now, as if it's not amazing enough to have a vehicle able to extract at least a portion of its energy requirements from water, there is another element to consider: waste more info. When we operate a gas or diesel engine, we have greenhouse gas and smog emissions to deal with. This technology actually produces pure water - AS A WASTE PRODUCT!

Is this "free" energy?

So, we have a device that produces a combustible gas from water. Then, when we use the gas for energy, it turns back to water again. Is this "free" energy? Can we expect this "free" energy to power the Earth within a few years, put an end to global warming and eliminate the need for fossil fuels?

First of all, energy is never "free". Basic physics teaches us that energy is neither created nor destroyed. It just changes forms. Remember, electricity is used to power the electrolysis process. The production of electricity requires energy. What we need to know is if we can get electricity and water cheaper than gas or diesel fuel. The short answer is "yes".

There is power to spare.

Here's why. When we operate our vehicles, we use electricity from our batteries to power the radio, operate the lights, run the fans, and create the spark to ignite the fuel and fire the cylinders that makes it go. So, why don't we have to recharge our batteries all the time? We have alternators that take a portion of the mechanical energy and convert it back into electricity to recharge the battery. No, this process does not produce "free" energy either. But, do we have electrical energy that is unused in this process? Yes.

Quite often, I find myself driving at night. I've had the interior and exterior lights on, radio blasting, defrosters running on high, wipers going, with my blinker on and my cell phone charging on the seat next to me without running my battery dead. If my engine, alternator and battery have energy to spare under these conditions, how much more would I have available during an average day? Is there enough to power water electrolysis? Many people are finding out the answer is "yes".

Conclusion

The sellers of plans for building and installing HHO conversion kits have drawn a fair share of criticism as media reports of Klein's car began spreading. Critics argue that companies are trying to con consumers into buying a "perpetual machine" or a "zero-point energy creator". While it may not be "free" energy, HHO technology holds promise and has practical, realistic applications.

Three Cars India Should Eye This Year

Ambassadors, Premier Padminis, and now, Maruti 800s, are part of the ever-expanding table of contents of India's automotive history hardbound. Our nation now gets its cars tailored to fit its very unique whims and fancies - any carmaker worth their salt has realized this, while well-informed customers are making sure that this trend will remain long term. Gone are the days of hand-me-downs and outdated beasts of foreign burden, but an era has dawned where creases from abusive donning of thinking caps abound on the foreheads of international automotive decision makers prior to car launches here.

There have already been some important new sets of rims in the country this year, with cars like the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and new-gen Dzire, and the Nissan Sunny Diesel, to name a few. But the year's only just completed three strokes, and by the time glasses clink on New Year's, it would have been a rather eventful four-stroke cycle, judging by what's still to debut.

A look at three biggies expected to hit the market before the 2012 calendar gets redundant:

A) TATA NANO DIESEL - THE PLANET'S MOST ECONOMICAL CAR?

Ironically, it seems fitting to begin piecing the three-spoke wheel with one of the smallest cars in the world. Quite simply because there are not many, rather, there is none other like the Tata Nano. With possibly as many patents to its design as the ubiquitous iPod, it obviously did not get the country's tarmac as choked as several analysts were led to believe. Whether it had marketing bungles or bad luck to blame is a different story, the fact remains that the world's cheapest set of four wheels is set to get even cheaper. In the long term, that is, if the diesel subsidy sticks and sensibility prevails.

While no official price estimates are out, the Nano Diesel should be priced in the region of three lakh rupees. However, what's more important is that the running costs of the approximately 700cc oil-burner may hover around a rupee a kilometre because of its targeted fuel economy of 40kpl. To put that in perspective, the cost of using the average 125cc motorcycle in our metros today is around Rs.1.3/km assuming an Rs.80/litre price tag for petrol with a 60kpl fuel economy figure.

Obviously, the "world's cheapest car" title would no longer apply to this version, but it could be replaced with the "world's most fuel-efficient car" nomenclature instead more info. While this would be great news for the Nano's image-reconstruction and "interested" banks, it could potentially cause a dent in sales of two-wheelers. True, that was said about the original iteration of this small wonder as well, and we all know how that theory backfired. Obviously, the Nano would still be three or four times more expensive to purchase, but it would still pip a major USP of a motorcycle - low running costs. All you hardcore biking enthusiasts, you didn't read that here...

We always knew it was only a matter of time till a diesel version of this remarkable little vehicle came to light, but only time will tell if these expectations can be met in desired price bracket. That aside, a still-inexpensive Nano with a strong diesel motor, along with much-needed improvements like an opening rear hatch should give the Nano its best shot at becoming a car for the masses. And, daresay, even for the not-so-masses.

Buying Diesel Generators - A Buyers Guide to Finding, Picking and Installing a Home Backup Generator

Understand Your Generator Options

Power generators have two main components. A motor that burns fuel to supply power and a generator head that turns power into electricity. Together, the motor and the generator head comprise a standard generator. Generators come in two basic designs: standby generators and portable generators.

Portable generators:

Portable generators provide power in remote locations, such as construction sites, for short periods of time. In a pinch, they can also power essential equipment during a power outage. Portable generators tend to be smaller and less expensive than standby generators more info. They have built-in fuel tanks, which allow them to run anywhere, and standard power outlets that can plug into ordinary extension cords. Portable generators should never be run indoors as they can produce fumes that can cause serious health problems or death if used indoors.

Standby Generators

Standby generators offer anywhere from 7 kW to several hundred kW of power. They help offset the harmful effects of power outages.  Installed permanently as an emergency power source for your home, cottage or business, standby generators are hardwired to your home or building electrical system and often get fuel from built in larger fuel tanks able to run for longer periods of time. Safety features can prevent injuries as well as damage to your generator.

Quality standby generators will shut down if they lose oil pressure, overheat, or are being worked too hard.  Standby generators also have solid steel or aluminum enclosures, good mufflers to reduce noise, and be compliant with all relevant emissions regulations. Standby generators should be started up once a week and run for 15 minutes to "exercise" them - making sure they're ready when needed.

Fuel Types:

Generators can run on several different fuel types. Diesel, Gasoline, Liquid Propane and Natural Gas

Diesel Fuel Generators:

Diesel is a popular choice of fuel for larger, commercial generators. Diesel generators tend to be dependable and somewhat less expensive to operate than generators that run on natural gas or propane, today's diesels are very clean burning and do not smoke. Diesel fuel is also safer to store then gasoline and lasts longer.

Natural Gas and Propane Generators:

Standby generators can run on natural gas or propane. The standby generator connects to utility lines and draws fuel when necessary. Choose between natural gas generators and propane generators based on what's available in your area. Unlike diesel generators there is more maintenance involved in these. Natural Gas and Propane generators can be sensitive to both fuel pressure and volume, so high-quality connections are important.

Gasoline Generators: