DISTANCE LEARNING | CONTINUING EDUCATION | ONLINE DEGREES

To watch the trailer for 10,000 BC is to be bombarded by a host of prehistoric-ish images. Kind of a highlight reel of all the visually cool stuff from a few million years of time. I’m no anthropologist, but I took an obligatory class on anthropology during my college education. I’ve also watched my fill of Discovery Channel shows on prehistoric animals. By the end of the trailer, one thought kept circulating through my brain: I don’t think all those things- cavemen, saber-toothed cats, giant carnivorous birds, etc.- existed at the same time. After a few years away from the textbook, however, I’m a little rusty. So I decided to do some research.

	Top Online Schools
	Kaplan University University of Phoenix Penn Foster Devry University AUI Online

In the interest of trivia and fact-based entertainment, I have made a short list of the facts and fiction that audiences will encounter this weekend when they watch 10,000 BC. This should save at least a few of you from humiliating yourselves at anthropological conferences or on dates with paleontologists. Use the following trivia to wow your friends during the movie:

Woolly Mammoth – Known officially as Mammuthus primigenius, this hairy cousin of the elephant was alive and thriving in 10,000 BC. Earliest fossil records of woolly mammoth date back 150,000 years. The last mammoths were believed to have perished around 1,700 BC. So it fits into the general timeframe of the movie. Whether it was harnessed for building pyramids is another story.

Saber-toothed Tiger – Saber-toothed cats would have been alive during the film’s time period but would have been on the way out. The last saber-toothed mammals went extinct circa 9,000 BC. With their eight-inch canines and 800-pound frames, these big cats would have been widely feared by dreadlocked, dirty-faced cavemen everywhere.

Humans – Humans were no newcomers in 10,000 BC. In fact, DNA evidence indicates that modern humans originated in Africa about 200,000 years ago.

Terror birds – Picture huge, flightless birds, bigger than ostriches, with an appetite for flesh and the speed to catch it, and you’ve got the giant killer chickens formally referred to as Phorusrhacids, or terror birds. Of course, the word “terror” is a dead giveaway. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), it is highly unlikely that the hero of 10,000 BC would encounter these beasties for two reasons: 1) terror birds weren’t around in 10,000 BC, having gone the way of the dodo around 1.2 million years ago, and 2) they were known to inhabit South and North America, not Europe or Africa where the movie takes place.

Pyramids – I know that towering pyramids are much more spectacularly cinematic than, say, thatched huts. But, sorry, even the earliest pyramids known to man go back only as far as 2700 BC. The earliest known pyramid, predating even the pyramids of Egypt, is the Pyramid of Hellinikon in Argolid, Greece, which is actually not much bigger than a public restroom. Like I said, less than cinematic.

Bow and arrow – That formerly-cool-but-now-cliché shot from the trailer where that guy shoots an arrow right at the camera might not have been able to happen in real life. The earliest known use of the bow and arrow dates back to 9,000 BC. I guess it’s cooler than the guy just tossing a rock at the camera.

Ahh… 10,000 BC looks like escapism at its uneducated best. Want to learn to make similarly non-factual but visually appealing films? Check out these easy degrees in film and video production. Have you seen 10,000 BC yet? If you loved it, feel free to berate me below…

The scenario is all too familiar. You work hard at your job. You get your paycheck. You pay your rent, your gas bill, your electric bill, and, of course, your cable bill. In shock, you squint at the meager handful of change left over. And you haven’t even bought dinner yet. Then you start planning to take more overtime to make ends meet. You will continue to repeat this sequence every month indefinitely. This scenario is referred to affectionately as “The Rat Race” and too many of us are stuck in it.

Enough is enough. Today is the day you start planning your escape from the Rat Race. Let’s take a look at your options. Stage an elaborate bank heist and make off with millions to a Caribbean island free of extradition laws? Not recommended. Keep sinking your pocket change into the lottery? Not recommended- like any gambling, even wins have a way of balancing out over time in the establishment’s favor. Change your identity? Not recommended- this costs money, which you don’t have. In fact, let’s say that any options that are illegal or rely on insane odds are off the table. You want something legit and long-term. Something that increases your income and/or decreases your expenses.

	Top Online Schools
	Kaplan University University of Phoenix Penn Foster Devry University AUI Online

I recommend (cue trumpets) EDUCATION!!! DEGREES!!! CERTIFICATES!!! (And I just exceeded my exclamation point quota for the month) Sure, going back to school is tough. You have to get used to reading textbooks, doing homework, taking notes, all that fun stuff, again. But think about the advantages. Higher degrees make you more marketable for better jobs. That means higher pay and higher likelihood of promotions. And that’s not just right out of school. Studies show that college degree holders earn far more than their GED-bearing counterparts, with the difference increasing with each passing year. They also experience the freedom to move upwards indefinitely at work while the others experience a glass ceiling sooner or later.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “I can barely make ends meet now; how am I going to pay for tuition, books, and all that other stuff?” The good news is, financial aid options are all around you. Scholarships exist for nearly every type of person you can think of- single mothers, left-handed people, military veterans, chess players, tall people, short people, science fiction fans, you name it. On top of those, the government is happy to help with Pell grants and low-interest loans. Often, employers will reimburse employees on school costs. With all these resources, money is not an issue.

If you’re worried about time constraints, schools offer full-time programs, night classes, and online classes that allow you to log on whenever you are available.

Education is your key to getting out of the Rat Race once and for all- your escape hatch, if you will. If you’re interested in learning about getting back into school, check out these convenient, nationally recognized programs. Have more questions? Check out these education articles and tips.

The American public has spent the last nine years bombarding Britney with criticism and ridicule. Then, recently, as she was carted away in an ambulance, we did an about face, and now everyone is offering to help. Dr. Phil tried to help, albeit clumsily. Heidi Klum offered to let her crash at her house. Justin and Timbaland are offering to help Brit rebuild her career. Everybody, it seems, wants in on the action. So why not you?

Do you want a piece of the save-Britney-from-herself pie? If so, you have two options: 1) get really famous and/or rich so the media cares about what you say (even though you really have no credibility) or 2) become a true expert in the following fields, charge onto the scene, and take care of business. Chances of achieving the first are minimal. So I recommend pursuing the latter. Brit will need help from the following types of professionals in the next few years:

1. Lawyer – Clients like Britney are a dream come true for lawyers: she’s always in trouble with the law and she has plenty of money to keep a lawyer working on her cases. In the last year alone, Britney has accumulated more than her fair share of legal woes.

Would you like to be the next in line to keep Britney out of the slammer? Consider a career in the law. Besides, if Britney ever straightens out her life, there will always be other screw-up celebrities to keep you employed. Classes and Careers can help you get off on the right foot with Legal and Paralegal Studies Degrees.

2. Psychiatrist – Having been groomed, enhanced, and told she wasn’t good enough and, simultaneously, she was the center of the universe since she was eleven years old, Britney has some deep-seated issues to work out. After the dust has settled from custody cases and drug rehab, Britney will still likely need psychiatric help.

Help lift Britney out of that deep, dark hole and become a psychiatrist. Exercise caution, however. Don’t, for instance, visit her at the emergency room and then, against all rules of patient confidentiality, relate to the press the graveness of Britney’s mental state. Find out more about how to become a Doctor in Psychology.

3. Rehab counselor – First things first, Britney needs to learn to just say no. You can be there for her by starting a career in rehab counseling. Teach Britney to pass on grass and all the other crazy stuff she’s been using and you will be a hero of the “Save Britney” community. Then we can all go back to mocking her without feeling guilty. All thanks to you! Find out what it takes to become a rehab counselor with a Master’s in Community Counseling.

4. Social worker – No, social workers don’t just take people’s kids away from them. They also take struggling parents under their wing and teach them how to be better moms and dads. As a social worker, you could teach Britney how to boil spaghetti noodles or make Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes- all the things she missed while she was being pushed to be a global superstar. How do you become a social worker? Social Sciences Degrees.

5. Parenting specialist – Social workers can only do so much. Parenting specialists teach parents how to teach, nurture, and discipline their kids appropriately. If you want to get those kids back from that lousy K-Fed, help Britney learn to be Mom of the Year. Find out how to become Britney’s parenting specialist by acquiring a Master’s in Marriage and Family Counseling.

We can all do our part to help Britney put her life back together. If you’ve got the desire, Classes and Careers can help.

College is a ceaseless barrage of assignments, deadlines, and papers. Somehow, between running to classes and pounding out essays, you have to actually absorb the deluge of information being thrown your way, to say nothing of maintaining your sanity and sense of normalcy.

Although learning styles differ, it has been found that certain techniques almost universally help students learn and retain knowledge better and faster. Check out the following five ways to improve your study skills:

1. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Did I mention repetition? That’s probably because “repetition is the mother of knowledge.” It was true when you were a newborn babe, and it’s true now. Humans learn by being exposed to things again and again and again. Research has found that humans, on average, must encounter information seven times before they commit it to long-term memory. Other research has found that frequently returning to the same information greatly increases retention.

How does this apply to you? It means that attending lecture isn’t enough. It means that you need to increase the number of times you see and think about the things you are learning. This may be as simple as reviewing your lecture notes the next day, reviewing material in a study group, or doing assigned homework exercises. The more you return to the information, the greater your chances that the information will be in your head when you need it.

2. Take notes. Something magical happens in the brain in the process of taking spoken information into the ears and translating them into words on the page. The brain has to process the information once when it hears it and then once more when it sends the signals to the hand to write it. The result: your brain thinks twice about information it is receiving, which is a good thing!

So, don’t substitute the digital recorder for taking good notes. Notes go a long way toward increasing retention. Returning to your notes can recall important memories of lectures and intuitive links made during those lectures. They are an essential companion to repetition.

To increase the power of note-taking, don’t just write down rote what the professor has on the board. Change up the wording. Put it in language you can understand and will easily recall later. This adds one more opportunity for your brain to process the information before moving on to the next item.

3. Diagram it. Before letters and words came along, man started his communications career using pictures to convey feelings, stories, and information. It seems the human brain is just hardwired to understand the world through pictures. So, you might as well use this unique ability to get through school.

When studying complex concepts, try sketching out diagrams that explain them in succinct but correct ways. Put these diagrams in the margins of your notes, over your Gene Simmons poster, or somewhere else where you will see them often. You will be amazed at how these diagrams pop right back into your head during exams or even later during crucial job interviews- instead of, say, pictures of Gene Simmons.

4. Create a space. Maybe as important as how you study is where you study. Places with lots of noise or activity create traffic jams in your brain with only limited amounts of desired information making it to your memory banks. On the other hand, places with lots of room and peace and quiet let you focus solely on the information before you and ensure maximum retention.

Experts recommend that you find your temple of study, a place that you can return to again and again with the sole purpose of studying. Look for a place with the following characteristics: good lighting, good ventilation, a comfortable (but not too comfortable) chair, and a desk large enough to spread out your materials. Some things you want to avoid: a view of activities that you want to be involved in, a telephone, a loud stereo, a TV, and a talkative friend. Pretty much anywhere in your dorm is a bad place to study.

Remember, you’re trying to train your brain to go into study mode every time you enter this space. So, don’t do anything else in your study temple but study. Some good candidates for study temples: libraries, wilderness areas, and study rooms/carrels.

5. Budget your time. Adequate study takes time and won’t usually happen accidentally. This means you’ve got to keep a planner, schedule in times to study, and stick to your schedule.

Having a consistent study schedule, like having a consistent study temple, helps your brain get used to studying intensely at certain times. This makes it easier for your brain to absorb maximum amounts of information.

The human brain is a powerful thing, and there’s a lot you can do to unlock its potential. What do you do to get the most out of your studying? Any tips for us? Let us know below…