Free Online Classes 24x7 (HP Learning Center)

This is one of the most useful website that I have encountered. lt will sharpen your knowledge and skills in IT. The good news, it is FREE. The only requirements : Internet connection, free registration and your TIME to complete each lesson. The current classes offering include:

• At Home
• At Work
• Business
• Business Basics
• Digital Entertainment
• Digital Photography
• Home Office
• IT Professionals
• Life Style
• Microsoft Office and Adode
• PC security and maintenance
• Technology

To give you an overview, the current classes according to the above classifications:

At home:

1.  Beginner's guide to saving, printing and sharing your digital photos (v2)
2. Beyond basics: fundamental photography techniques (SEO)
3. Camera composition: change your perspective (SEO)
4. Color your business: develop a marketing color scheme (Cap w/VO SEO)
5. Create and print your own high-quality marketing materials (SEO)
6. Creating an interactive marketing brochure (quick lesson) (SEO)
7. Creating a distinctive identity: business cards, stationery and more (v3 SEO)
8. Creative gifts to make from photos (v2 SEO)
9. Facebook and Twitter: getting started (quick lesson) (v2)
10. Five common photo problems and how to solve them (quick lesson v2)
11. Getting started with LightScribe (SEO) (quick lesson)
12. Get organized: managing time, space and paper (v2 hp)
13. Go wireless: using Bluetooth to connect and print (quick lesson SEO)
14. Intermediate website design (SEO)
15. Is your digital media collection outgrowing your PC? (v2 SEO)
16. Keep your kids safe on the internet: creating an internet use action plan (quick lesson)
17. Keep your kids safe on the internet: know your risks (quick lesson)
18. Laptop PCs: basic troubleshooting and repair (SEO) (quick lesson)
19. Laptop PCs: troubleshooting wireless problems (SEO) (quick lesson)
20. Mastering email: keep your inbox clutter-free (Cap w/VO)
21. Microsoft® Access 2007: introduction (SEO RM)
22. Microsoft® ASP.NET 3.5: beginner's guide (v3 SEO RM)
23. Microsoft® Outlook 2007: tips and tricks (SEO RM)
24. Microsoft® Windows® 7: tune up your PC (v2 SEO RM)
25. Microsoft® Windows® XP: tune up your PC (v2 SEO)
26. Migrating from Microsoft® Windows® XP to Windows® 7 (SEO)
27. Networking 101 (v2 SEO)
28. Online social networking (SEO) (quick lesson)
29. Organize, archive and retrieve your digital photos (quick lesson)
30. Photo restoration basics: preserve your family photos (v2 SEO)
31. Practical Wi-Fi security (quick lesson)
32. Printing photos in any size (quick lesson) (SEO)
33. Print marketing materials in-house on a wide-format printer (SEO)
34. Print without your PC (SEO)
35. Protect your PC from spam, spyware and viruses (SEO)
36. Safe online gaming (quick lesson)
37. Scanning basics (v4 SEO)
38. Simple backup strategies with HP Backup and Recovery Manager (SEO RM) (quick lesson with podcast)
39. Small business survival tips (quick lesson)
40. Spam breakdown (quick lesson)
41. Spyware basics (quick lesson)
42. Take a tour of Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional (quick lesson)
43. Technology and your elementary school student (quick lesson)
44. Technology and your high school student (quick lesson)
45. Technology and your middle school student (quick lesson)
46. Ten tips for printing better marketing materials in-house (quick lesson) (SEO) v2
47. What makes a good small business video? (quick lesson) (SEO)
48. Wireless networking with Microsoft® Windows® 7 (quick lesson) (SEO)
49. Wireless printing basics (SEO) (quick lesson)

At Work

1.  Color your business: develop a marketing color scheme (Cap w/VO SEO)
2. Create marketing materials that align with your goals (quick lesson) (SEO)
3. Customizing business envelopes and automating postage (quick lesson) (RM) (SEO)
4. Disaster preparedness through virtualization (SEO quick lesson)
5. Editing great small business videos (SEO RM)
6. Facebook and Twitter: getting started (quick lesson) (v2)
7. Getting connected with mobile broadband (Notebook)
8. How-To Guide: Improve ROI by investing in a mobile workforce (quick lesson) (SEO)
9. HP Backup and Recovery Manager: restore files (Cap w/VO)
10. HP Backup and Recovery Manager: schedule backups (Cap w/VO)
11. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: enable Smart Card security (Cap w/VO) -- GE
12. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: using BIOS Configuration (Cap w/VO) -- GE
13. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: using single sign-on (Cap w/VO) -- GE
14. Intermediate website design (SEO)
15. Introduction to storage networks (v3 SEO)
16. Is your digital media collection outgrowing your PC? (v2 SEO)
17. IT infrastructure and its challenges: outsource or hire? (SEO quick lesson)
18. Keep your kids safe on the internet: creating an internet use action plan (quick lesson)
19. Keep your kids safe on the internet: know your risks (quick lesson)
20. Laptop PCs: basic troubleshooting and repair (SEO) (quick lesson)
21. Laptop PCs: troubleshooting wireless problems (SEO) (quick lesson)
22. Linux 201: administering Linux for users (v4 SEO RM)
23. Linux 301: introduction to Linux system administration (v3 SEO)
24. Linux 401: intermediate system administration skills (v2 SEO RM)
25. Marketing writing tips: five mistakes to avoid (quick lesson) (SEO)
26. Mastering email: keep your inbox clutter-free (Cap w/VO)
27. Microsoft® Access 2007: introduction (SEO RM)
28. Microsoft® ASP.NET 3.5: beginner's guide (v3 SEO RM)
29. Microsoft® OneNote: creating and using notebooks (Cap w/VO)
30. Microsoft® OneNote: getting started (Cap w/VO)
31. Microsoft® Outlook 2007: tips and tricks (SEO RM)
32. Microsoft® Windows® 7: tune up your PC (v2 SEO RM)
33. Microsoft® Windows® XP: tune up your PC (v2 SEO)
34. Migrating from Microsoft® Windows® XP to Windows® 7 (SEO)
35. Networking 101 (v2 SEO)
36. Network attached storage (v3 SEO)
37. Planning closed loop client lifecycles (SEO)
38. Practical Wi-Fi security (quick lesson)
39. Print marketing materials in-house on a wide-format printer (SEO)
40. Protect your data: back up to disk, tape, the network and beyond (v3 SEO)
41. Protect your PC from spam, spyware and viruses (SEO)
42. Safe online gaming (quick lesson)
43. Save money, be energy efficient (v2 SEO)
44. Save on travel expenses with online collaboration (quick lesson)
45. Servers 101 (v3 RM)
46. Shooting great small business videos (SEO RM)
47. Simple backup strategies with HP Backup and Recovery Manager (SEO RM) (quick lesson with podcast)
48. Six steps to computer security (quick lesson)
49. Small business survival tips (quick lesson)
50. Spam breakdown (quick lesson)
51. Spyware basics (quick lesson)
52. Streamline your business with unified communications and collaboration (SEO)
53. Streamline your organization through shared services (quick lesson)
54. Take a tour of Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional (quick lesson)
55. Ten tips for printing better marketing materials in-house (quick lesson) (SEO) v2
56. Transition your old IT assets (quick lesson)
57. Understanding Microsoft® Windows Server 2008 (SEO)
58. Use color-coding to prioritize your email (Cap w/VO)
59. Use Google Desktop to find and retrieve what you need (Cap w/VO)
60. Virtualize your infrastructure: deployment (v2 SEO)
61. Virtualize your infrastructure: planning (v2 SEO)
62. What makes a good small business video? (quick lesson) (SEO)
63. Wireless networking with Bluetooth (SEO) (quick lesson)

Business

1. Create and print your own high-quality marketing materials (SEO)
2. Creating an interactive marketing brochure (quick lesson) (SEO)
3. Creating a distinctive identity: business cards, stationery and more (v3 SEO)
4. Editing great small business videos (SEO RM)
5. Is your digital media collection outgrowing your PC? (v2 SEO)
6. Print marketing materials in-house on a wide-format printer (SEO)
7. Save on travel expenses with online collaboration (quick lesson)
8. Shooting great small business videos (SEO RM)
9. Small business survival tips (quick lesson)
10. Streamline your business with unified communications and collaboration (SEO)
11. Use color-coding to prioritize your email (Cap w/VO)
12. Use Google Desktop to find and retrieve what you need (Cap w/VO)

Business Basics

1.  Color your business: develop a marketing color scheme (Cap w/VO SEO)
2. Create marketing materials that align with your goals (quick lesson) (SEO)
3. Customizing business envelopes and automating postage (quick lesson) (RM) (SEO)
4. Editing great small business videos (SEO RM)
5. Facebook and Twitter: getting started (quick lesson) (v2)
6. Intermediate website design (SEO)
7. Is your digital media collection outgrowing your PC? (v2 SEO)
8. Marketing writing tips: five mistakes to avoid (quick lesson) (SEO)
9. Mastering email: keep your inbox clutter-free (Cap w/VO)
10. Microsoft® OneNote: creating and using notebooks (Cap w/VO)
11. Microsoft® OneNote: getting started (Cap w/VO)
12. Networking 101 (v2 SEO)
13. Print marketing materials in-house on a wide-format printer (SEO)
14. Save money, be energy efficient (v2 SEO)
15. Save on travel expenses with online collaboration (quick lesson)
16. Shooting great small business videos (SEO RM)
17. Small business survival tips (quick lesson)
18. Ten tips for printing better marketing materials in-house (quick lesson) (SEO) v2
19. Use color-coding to prioritize your email (Cap w/VO)
20. Use Google Desktop to find and retrieve what you need (Cap w/VO)
21. What makes a good small business video? (quick lesson) (SEO)

Digital Entertainment

1. Organize, archive and retrieve your digital photos (quick lesson)
2. What makes a good small business video? (quick lesson) (SEO)

Digital Photography

1. Beginner's guide to saving, printing and sharing your digital photos (v2)
2. Beyond basics: fundamental photography techniques (SEO)
3. Camera composition: change your perspective (SEO)
4. Five common photo problems and how to solve them (quick lesson v2)
5. Organize, archive and retrieve your digital photos (quick lesson)
6. Photo restoration basics: preserve your family photos (v2 SEO)
7. Printing photos in any size (quick lesson) (SEO)
8. Scanning basics (v4 SEO)

Home Office

1. Color your business: develop a marketing color scheme (Cap w/VO SEO)
2. Create and print your own high-quality marketing materials (SEO)
3. Creating an interactive marketing brochure (quick lesson) (SEO)
4. Creating a distinctive identity: business cards, stationery and more (v3 SEO)
5. Creative gifts to make from photos (v2 SEO)
6. Facebook and Twitter: getting started (quick lesson) (v2)
7. Getting started with LightScribe (SEO) (quick lesson)
8. Get organized: managing time, space and paper (v2 hp)
9. Go wireless: using Bluetooth to connect and print (quick lesson SEO)
10. Intermediate website design (SEO)
11. Is your digital media collection outgrowing your PC? (v2 SEO)
12. Laptop PCs: basic troubleshooting and repair (SEO) (quick lesson)
13. Laptop PCs: troubleshooting wireless problems (SEO) (quick lesson)
14. Mastering email: keep your inbox clutter-free (Cap w/VO)
15. Microsoft® Windows® 7: tune up your PC (v2 SEO RM)
16. Migrating from Microsoft® Windows® XP to Windows® 7 (SEO)
17. Networking 101 (v2 SEO)
18. Online social networking (SEO) (quick lesson)
19. Organize, archive and retrieve your digital photos (quick lesson)
20. Practical Wi-Fi security (quick lesson)
21. Print marketing materials in-house on a wide-format printer (SEO)
22. Print without your PC (SEO)
23. Simple backup strategies with HP Backup and Recovery Manager (SEO RM) (quick lesson with podcast)
24. Small business survival tips (quick lesson)
25. Technology and your elementary school student (quick lesson)
26. Technology and your high school student (quick lesson)
27. Technology and your middle school student (quick lesson)
28. Ten tips for printing better marketing materials in-house (quick lesson) (SEO) v2
29. What makes a good small business video? (quick lesson) (SEO)
30. Wireless networking with Microsoft® Windows® 7 (quick lesson) (SEO)
31. Wireless printing basics (SEO) (quick lesson)

IT Professionals

1.  Disaster preparedness through virtualization (SEO quick lesson)
2. Getting connected with mobile broadband (Notebook)
3. How-To Guide: Improve ROI by investing in a mobile workforce (quick lesson) (SEO)
4. HP Backup and Recovery Manager: restore files (Cap w/VO)
5. HP Backup and Recovery Manager: schedule backups (Cap w/VO)
6. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: enable Smart Card security (Cap w/VO) -- GE
7. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: using BIOS Configuration (Cap w/VO) -- GE
8. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: using single sign-on (Cap w/VO) -- GE
9. Introduction to storage networks (v3 SEO)
10. IT infrastructure and its challenges: outsource or hire? (SEO quick lesson)
11. Linux 201: administering Linux for users (v4 SEO RM)
12. Linux 301: introduction to Linux system administration (v3 SEO)
13. Linux 401: intermediate system administration skills (v2 SEO RM)
14. Microsoft® ASP.NET 3.5: beginner's guide (v3 SEO RM)
15. Network attached storage (v3 SEO)
16. Planning closed loop client lifecycles (SEO)
17. Practical Wi-Fi security (quick lesson)
18. Protect your data: back up to disk, tape, the network and beyond (v3 SEO)
19. Servers 101 (v3 RM)
20. Simple backup strategies with HP Backup and Recovery Manager (SEO RM) (quick lesson with podcast)
21. Six steps to computer security (quick lesson)
22. Streamline your business with unified communications and collaboration (SEO)
23. Streamline your organization through shared services (quick lesson)
24. Transition your old IT assets (quick lesson)
25. Understanding Microsoft® Windows Server 2008 (SEO)
26. Virtualize your infrastructure: deployment (v2 SEO)
27. Virtualize your infrastructure: planning (v2 SEO)
28. Wireless networking with Bluetooth (SEO) (quick lesson)

Life Style

1.  Facebook and Twitter: getting started (quick lesson) (v2)
2. Get organized: managing time, space and paper (v2 hp)

Microsoft Office and Adode

1.  Microsoft® Access 2007: introduction (SEO RM)
2. Microsoft® ASP.NET 3.5: beginner's guide (v3 SEO RM)
3. Microsoft® Outlook 2007: tips and tricks (SEO RM)
4. Take a tour of Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional (quick lesson)

PC security and maintenance

1.  Keep your kids safe on the internet: creating an internet use action plan (quick lesson)
2. Keep your kids safe on the internet: know your risks (quick lesson)
3. Laptop PCs: basic troubleshooting and repair (SEO) (quick lesson)
4. Laptop PCs: troubleshooting wireless problems (SEO) (quick lesson)
5. Microsoft® Windows® 7: tune up your PC (v2 SEO RM)
6. Microsoft® Windows® XP: tune up your PC (v2 SEO)
7. Migrating from Microsoft® Windows® XP to Windows® 7 (SEO)
8. Protect your PC from spam, spyware and viruses (SEO)
9. Safe online gaming (quick lesson)
10. Simple backup strategies with HP Backup and Recovery Manager (SEO RM) (quick lesson with podcast)
11. Spam breakdown (quick lesson)
12. Spyware basics (quick lesson)
13. Wireless networking with Microsoft® Windows® 7 (quick lesson) (SEO)

Technology

1.  Beginner's guide to saving, printing and sharing your digital photos (v2)
2. Beyond basics: fundamental photography techniques (SEO)
3. Camera composition: change your perspective (SEO)
4. Color your business: develop a marketing color scheme (Cap w/VO SEO)
5. Create marketing materials that align with your goals (quick lesson) (SEO)
6. Creative gifts to make from photos (v2 SEO)
7. Customizing business envelopes and automating postage (quick lesson) (RM) (SEO)
8. Disaster preparedness through virtualization (SEO quick lesson)
9. Five common photo problems and how to solve them (quick lesson v2)
10. Getting connected with mobile broadband (Notebook)
11. Getting started with LightScribe (SEO) (quick lesson)
12. Go wireless: using Bluetooth to connect and print (quick lesson SEO)
13. How-To Guide: Improve ROI by investing in a mobile workforce (quick lesson) (SEO)
14. HP Backup and Recovery Manager: restore files (Cap w/VO)
15. HP Backup and Recovery Manager: schedule backups (Cap w/VO)
16. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: enable Smart Card security (Cap w/VO) -- GE
17. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: using BIOS Configuration (Cap w/VO) -- GE
18. HP ProtectTools Security Manager: using single sign-on (Cap w/VO) -- GE
19. HP ProtectTools: security at your fingertips (quick lesson with podcast)
20. Intermediate website design (SEO)
21. Introduction to storage networks (v3 SEO)
22. IT infrastructure and its challenges: outsource or hire? (SEO quick lesson)
23. Keep your kids safe on the internet: creating an internet use action plan (quick lesson)
24. Keep your kids safe on the internet: know your risks (quick lesson)
25. Laptop PCs: basic troubleshooting and repair (SEO) (quick lesson)
26. Laptop PCs: troubleshooting wireless problems (SEO) (quick lesson)
27. Linux 201: administering Linux for users (v4 SEO RM)
28. Linux 301: introduction to Linux system administration (v3 SEO)
29. Linux 401: intermediate system administration skills (v2 SEO RM)
30. Marketing writing tips: five mistakes to avoid (quick lesson) (SEO)
31. Mastering email: keep your inbox clutter-free (Cap w/VO)
32. Microsoft® Access 2007: introduction (SEO RM)
33. Microsoft® ASP.NET 3.5: beginner's guide (v3 SEO RM)
34. Microsoft® OneNote: creating and using notebooks (Cap w/VO)
35. Microsoft® OneNote: getting started (Cap w/VO)
36. Microsoft® Outlook 2007: tips and tricks (SEO RM)
37. Microsoft® Windows Vista: tune up your PC (SEO)
38. Microsoft® Windows® 7: tune up your PC (v2 SEO RM)
39. Microsoft® Windows® XP: tune up your PC (v2 SEO)
40. Migrating from Microsoft® Windows® XP to Windows® 7 (SEO)
41. Networking 101 (v2 SEO)
42. Network attached storage (v3 SEO)
43. Online social networking (SEO) (quick lesson)
44. Photo restoration basics: preserve your family photos (v2 SEO)
45. Planning closed loop client lifecycles (SEO)
46. Practical Wi-Fi security (quick lesson)
47. Printing photos in any size (quick lesson) (SEO)
48. Print without your PC (SEO)
49. Protect your data: back up to disk, tape, the network and beyond (v3 SEO)
50. Protect your PC from spam, spyware and viruses (SEO)
51. Safe online gaming (quick lesson)
52. Save money, be energy efficient (v2 SEO)
53. Scanning basics (v4 SEO)
54. Servers 101 (v3 RM)
55. Simple backup strategies with HP Backup and Recovery Manager (SEO RM) (quick lesson with podcast)
56. Six steps to computer security (quick lesson)
57. Spam breakdown (quick lesson)
58. Spyware basics (quick lesson)
59. Streamline your organization through shared services (quick lesson)
60. Take a tour of Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional (quick lesson)
61. Technology and your elementary school student (quick lesson)
62. Technology and your high school student (quick lesson)
63. Technology and your middle school student (quick lesson)
64. Ten tips for printing better marketing materials in-house (quick lesson) (SEO) v2
65. Transition your old IT assets (quick lesson)
66. Understanding Microsoft® Windows Server 2008 (SEO)
67. Virtualize your infrastructure: deployment (v2 SEO)
68. Virtualize your infrastructure: planning (v2 SEO)
69. Web connected printer (quick lesson)
70. Wireless networking with Bluetooth (SEO) (quick lesson)
71. Wireless networking with Microsoft® Windows® 7 (quick lesson) (SEO)

To register, go to HP Learning Center

4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes. For Life.

Diabetes is a serious and chronic disease. It affects almost every part of your body. 

Key facts (Source: World Health Organization)

• 346 million people worldwide have diabetes.

• In 2004, an estimated 3.4 million people died from consequences of high blood sugar.

• More than 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

• WHO projects that diabetes deaths will double between 2005 and 2030.

• Healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

4 STEPS TO CONTROL DIABETES (Source: NDEP)

Step 1: Learn about diabetes.

Diabetes means that your blood glucose (blood sugar) is too high. There are two main types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes - the body does not make insulin. Insulin helps the body use glucose from food for energy. People with type 1 need to take insulin every day.

Type 2 diabetes - the body does not make or use insulin well. People with type 2 often need to take pills or insulin. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes.

Diabetes is serious.

You may have heard people say they have “a touch of diabetes” or that their “sugar is a little high.” These words suggest that diabetes is not a serious disease. That is not correct. Diabetes is serious, but you can learn to manage it!

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it!

All people with diabetes need to make healthy food choices, stay at a healthy weight, and move more every day.

Taking good care of yourself and your diabetes can help you feel better. It may help you avoid health problems caused by diabetes such as:

• heart attack and stroke
• eye problems that can lead to trouble seeing or going blind
• nerve damage that can cause your hands and feet to hurt, tingle, or feel numb. Some people may even lose a foot or a leg.
• kidney problems that can cause your kidneys to stop working
• gum disease and loss of teeth

When your blood glucose is close to normal you are likely to:

• have more energy.
• be less tired and thirsty and urinate less often.
• heal better and have fewer skin, or bladder infections.
• have fewer problems with your eyesight, feet, and gums.

• Ask your health care team what type of diabetes you have.
• Learn why diabetes is serious.
• Learn how caring for your diabetes helps you feel better today and in the future.

Step 2: Know your diabetes ABCs.

Talk to your health care team about how to manage your A1C, Blood pressure, and Cholesterol. This can help lower your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes problems. Here's what the ABCs of diabetes stand for:

A for the A1C test (A-one-C).

It shows what your blood glucose has been over the last three months. The A1C goal for many people is below 7. High blood glucose can harm your heart and blood vessels, kidneys, feet, and eyes.

B for Blood pressure.

The goal for most people with diabetes is below 130/80.

High blood pressure makes your heart work too hard. It can cause heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.

C for Cholesterol (ko-LES-ter-ol).

The LDL goal for people with diabetes is below 100.
The HDL goal for men with diabetes is above 40.
The HDL goal for women with diabetes is about 50.

LDL or “bad” cholesterol can build up and clog your blood vessels. It can cause a heart attack or a stroke. HDL or “good” cholesterol helps remove cholesterol from your blood vessels.

Step 3: Manage your diabetes.

Many people avoid the long-term problems of diabetes by taking good care of themselves. Work with your health care team to reach your ABC target. Use this self-care plan.

• Follow your diabetes meal plan. If you do not have one, ask your health care team to help you develop a meal plan.
  • Eat healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, fish, lean meats, chicken or turkey without the skin, dry peas or beans, whole grains, and low-fat or skim milk and cheese.
  • Keep fish and lean meat and poultry portions to about 3 ounces (or the size of a deck of cards). Bake, broil, or grill it.
  • Eat foods that have less fat and salt.
  • Eat foods with more fiber such as whole grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta.
• Get 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week. Brisk walking is a great way to move more.
• Stay at a healthy weight by using your meal plan and moving more.
• Ask for help if you feel down. A mental health counselor, support group, member of the clergy, friend, or family member who will listen to your concerns may help you feel better.
• Learn to cope with stress. Stress can raise your blood glucose. While it is hard to remove stress from your life, you can learn to handle it. NDEP's Diabetes HealthSense provides online access to resources that support people with diabetes in making changes to live well. For more information visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/HealthSense.
• Stop smoking. Ask for help to quit. Call 1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669)
• Take medicines even when you feel good. Ask your doctor if you need aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Tell your doctor if you cannot afford your medicines or if you have any side effects.
• Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, red spots, and swelling. Call your health care team right away about any sores that do not go away.
• Brush your teeth and floss every day to avoid problems with your mouth, teeth, or gums
• Check your blood glucose. You may want to test it one or more times a day. Use the card at the back of this booklet to keep a record of your blood glucose numbers. Be sure to show it to your health care team.
• Check your blood pressure if your doctor advises.
• Report any changes in your eyesight to your health care team.

Step 4: Get routine care.

See your health care team at least twice a year to find and treat any problems early.

At each visit be sure you have a:

• blood pressure check
• foot check
• weight check
• review of your self-care plan shown in Step 3

Two times each year have an:

• A1C test - it may be checked more often if it is over 7

Once each year be sure you have a:

• cholesterol test
• triglyceride (try-GLISS-er-ide) test - a type of blood fat
• complete foot exam
• dental exam to check teeth and gums - tell your dentist you have diabetes
• dilated eye exam to check for eye problems
• flu shot
• urine and a blood test to check for kidney problems

At least once get a:

• pneumonia (nu-mo-nya) shot

You can find My Diabetes Care Record and Self Checks of Blood Glucose at:
http://www.ndep.nih.gov/media/my-diabetes-care-record.pdf
http://www.ndep.nih.gov/media/self-checks-of-blood-glucose.pdf

For full details, latest update, info and recommendations, please go to
National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP)
World Health Organization (WHO)

How to Compare Computers

By Larry Amon, eHow Contributor

Computers make all of our lives easier, and they are a standard in most American homes. Comparing computers is still a bit harder than comparing cars because consumers think of computers as an appliance rather than a complex piece of technology. Looking at all the computer has to offer piece by piece will allow you to make a good choice

Instructions

1. • 1
     Look at the hardware on each computer. Processors, RAM and motherboards can greatly affect the speed and power of the computer. Use standard industry benchmarks to compare the speed. Look at the other hardware to determine the strong points of the computer, such as the video and sound cards. Also, look at the drives to see how much storage and flexibility the computer offers.
   • 2
     Evaluate the peripherals and packages. When computers are for sale, they often include monitors, printers and other computer peripherals to sweeten the deal. Look at everything you get with a computer. Don't just consider the overall financial value but the value to you, because you might not need or want the extras.
   • 3
     Consider the manufacturer. Different manufacturers use different levels of quality parts. Some manufacturers use top-of-the-line parts while others use cheap parts to get the most profit. Tech support is also an important part of a computer manufacturer. Read customer reviews to get an idea of what support level each provider offers.
   • 4
     Think about the cost. Although it is often true that you get what you pay for, occasionally you pay more than necessary. Some computers have an artificially inflated price. Look at all of the options, parts and support and see if the price is right.

Read more: How to Compare Computers | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5487285_compare-computers.html

How solar power can help the billion people without electricity

Solar panels in poor villages and neighbourhoods could be the best way to the billion people without access to electricity.

Sharan Pinto installs a solar panel on the rooftop of a house in Nada, a village near the southwest Indian port of Mangalore, India. Photograph: Rafiq Maqbool/AP 

One of the major opportunities lies in providing energy access for the more than 1.2 billion people who don't have electricity, most of whom, in business-as-usual scenarios, still won't have it in 2030. These are the poorest people on the planet. Ironically, the world's poorest can best afford the most sophisticated lighting — off-grid combinations of solar panels, power electronics, and LED lights. And this creates an opportunity for which the economics are compelling, the moral urgency profound, the development benefits enormous, and the potential leverage game changing.

The cost of coal and copper — the ingredients of conventional grid power — are soaring. Meanwhile, the cost of solar panels and LEDs, the ingredients of distributed renewable power, are racing down even faster.

If we want the poor to benefit from electricity we cannot wait for the grid, and we cannot rely on fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency, historically a grid-centric, establishment voice, admits that half of those without electricity today will never be wired. The government of India estimates that two-thirds of its non-electrified households need distributed power.

Fortunately, the historic barriers to getting distributed renewable power to scale in poor villages and neighborhoods are rapidly being dismantled by progress in technology, finance, and business models. Getting 1.2 billion people local solar power they can afford is within grasp — if we only think about the problem in a different way. In fact, the world can finish this job by 2020.

The poor already pay for light. They pay for kerosene and candles. And they pay a lot. The poorest fifth of the world pays one-fifth of the world's lighting bill — but receives only 0.1 percent of the lighting benefits. Over a decade, the average poor family spends $1,800 on energy expenditures. Replacing kerosene with a vastly superior 40 Wp (Watts peak) home solar system would cost only $300 and provide them not only light, but access to cell-phone charging, fans, computers, and even televisions.

Kerosene costs 25 to 30 percent of a family's income — globally that amounts to $36 billion a year. The poor do not use kerosene because it is cheap — they are kept poor in significant part because they must rely on expensive, dirty kerosene.

And the poor pay in other ways. A room lit by kerosene typically can have concentrations of pollution 10 times safe levels. About 1.5 million people, mostly women, die of this pollution every year, in addition to those who die from burns in fires.

So why do the poor use kerosene? Because they can buy a single day's worth in a bottle, if that is all they can afford. For the poor, affordability has three dimensions: total cost, up-front price, and payment flexibility. Solar power comes in a panel that will give ten, or even 20, years of light and power — but the poor cannot afford a ten-year investment up front. And many cannot handle conventional finance plans, which require fixed payments regardless of their income that month.

Nor, for the record, do the electrified middle class pay for electricity up front. When I moved into my house in San Francisco, I did not get a bill for my share of the power plants and transmission grid that give me power each month. I pay as I go, based on how many kwh's I use that month.

So lighting the lives of 1.2 billion people with off-grid renewable electricity requires three ingredients:

• Capital to pay for solar or other renewable electrical generation for 400 million households that depend on kerosene;

• Business models for those households to pay for the electricity they use, at the price it really costs, which is a lot less than kerosene;

• Financing, public policy, and partnerships to create the supply chains and distribution networks capable of getting distributed electrical systems to every household that needs them. (These needs might require $6 billion in credits and loan guarantees.)

The money is on the table. It's just on the wrong plates. Purchase and finance of solar power for 1.2 billion people would cost about $10 billion a year over a decade. The 11 countries with the largest number of households without electricity spent $80 billion each year subsidizing fossil fuel — only 17 percent of which benefits the poor. In 2010, the World Bank spent $8 billion on coal-fired power plants, few of which provided meaningful energy access to the poor. The UN's Clean Development Mechanism is proposing to give $4 billion a year to anything-but-clean coal-plants. So there is already far more capital in the system than is needed.

Even five years ago the business models did not exist to enable the poor to afford solar. Solar was much more expensive. The only alternative to buying a solar system with cash was a bank or micro-credit loan for which most of the poor could not qualify.

But the combination of dirt-cheap solar, the cell-phone revolution, and mobile phone banking has changed everything. There are almost 600 million cell-phone customers without electricity — using their phones very little, still spending $10 billion to charge them in town. There are hundreds of thousands of rural, off-grid cell towers powered by diesel — at a price of about $0.70/kilowatt hour. All over the world cell-phone towers are being converted from diesel to hybrid renewable power sources. So cell phone companies have a powerful motivation to get renewable power into rural areas, to get electricity to their customers, and to charge for electricity through their mobile phone payment systems.

At least three commercial models have been launched in the last several months. 

India's Simpa Networks — in partnership with SELCO in India and DT-Power in Ghana, India and Kenya — are testing models in which solar distributors can allow customers to pay for electricity through mobile banking "pay as you go" plans. 

Zimbabwe's Econet Power has launched an even more intriguing model, in which it provides its cell-phone customers with solar power as a customer benefit, charging them only $1 week to use a home solar system provided by Econet, with the bills tied to the customer's cell phone account.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has proclaimed 2012 the Year of Universal Energy Access. His initiative is keyed not to the UN climate talks, but to the Rio +20 Earth Summit talks scheduled for June.

Imagine that at Rio, instead of embracing business-as-usual solutions to energy access, the world decided to empower the poor with the electricity they can truly afford — distributed solar?

What would the benefits be? In carbon terms alone, kerosene for lighting emits almost as much greenhouse-gas pollution as the entire British economy. 1.5 million lives a year would be saved from respiratory ailments. The available income for the world's poorest fifth would be increased by 25 to 30 percent — a pretty big development bang-for-the-buck. Numerous studies have shown that providing basic energy access increases household income by 50 percent or more by providing more time and opportunities for home-based income generation.

Full article at : http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jan/05/solar-power-billion-without-electricity

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