Not only is May Sustainability Month, it is also Bike Safety Month! Follow BAL-4 & B-T as they learn about reusable bike tires.
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The Most Empowering Self-Help Books
May 10, 2012 By
Sometimes we all need a little push to get elevated to the next step of life, and a good self-help book can provide that push! Yet, the market is so full of tomes that promise results that it can be hard to pick the right one for you. Below, we’ll share five titles that truly deliver results. You might want to add one or some to your home library at Carlisle Barracks Homes.
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is one of the most successful self-help books of all time — thanks to Oprah's endorsement. With an easy-to-understand message of positive thinking paired with productive action, it’s a great read to get you motivated to start a new phase.
Tom Rath’s StrengthsFinder is a scientifically organized self-help book that can help you discover the strength of your inner power. Through a system of thought-provoking questionnaires and thought experiments, this book isolates your strengths and helps you convert them into purpose-driven results.
Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff by Richard Carlson is a terrific book to have in your self-help library — especially when daily life is getting you down. This little book is full of great advice to maintain your focus on the things that really matter in life.
Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is an all-time best-seller in the self-help field. It has offered generations of readers workable tips in following the power of your inner spirit through positive mental attitudes. Although it was published all the way back in 1937, it’s still relevant today.
Eckhart Tolle’s The Power Of Now is probably the best introduction to the many works of this prolific spiritual self-help author. This read works as a useful guidebook to the ins and outs of human consciousness.
BAL-4 & B-T Learn to Pack a Waste-Free Lunch
May 7, 2012 By
Want To Learn A New Language? Here Are Some Tips!
May 3, 2012 By
Learning a new language is a worthwhile pursuit for many reasons: it can expand your job prospects, make traveling more pleasurable, and even help your brain retain information longer. Although most experts agree that learning a new language as an adult is more difficult than learning it as a child, below are some useful shortcuts to help you out if you're interested in becoming bilingual.
One of the most important things in learning a new language is to set aside time to study each and every day. Repetition is the key for language learning, so make sure that your study time includes equal amounts of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It’s very easy for languages, especially newly-learned ones, to atrophy through disuse.
Another useful technique is to set short-term goals for yourself in your study, and aim for a certain level of proficiency each week. These goals can be things such as learning a set number of vocabulary words, or being able to carry on a conversation about a specific subject.
Repetition of lessons is also a very useful way to make sure that what you’re learning “sticks.” The second or third time through will help you cement good habits and erase bad ones.
Of course, the absolute best way to learn a foreign language is by conversation with a native speaker. Use social media, Craiglist, or other services to find other speakers who might enjoy helping you learn for a small fee. Never underestimate the power to chatting with a native speaker in their native tongue over a cup of coffee!
May is Sustainability Month: Follow BAL-4 & B-T as They Learn to Make a Difference
May 1, 2012 By
Balfour Beatty has declared May as Sustainability Month. Throughout the month, employees across all our offices will be learning about ways they can implement sustainable behaviors and practices in the office, at home and throughout the greater community. Sustainability is a collective responsibility. We encourage you to follow BAL-4 and B-T each month to learn about ways you too can make a difference.
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Top Travel Blogs
April 26, 2012 By
A global medium, the world wide web makes it easy to share stories about places both near and faraway. If you love to travel, the web's a wonderful resource for finding trip ideas and maybe even simply admiring (with maybe — just maybe — a small touch of envy!) other people's travel plans. Live vicariously and get inspired by reading some of these great travel blogs:
So Many Places
Kim and Brian are living out a dream of selling all of their stuff and travelling the world. This blog tracks that adventure, and also explores the need for adventure and to embrace the world around you.
Aviators and a Camera
A photographer and travel writer full of wanderlust, Kristen updates her blog with stories of where her work takes her. This site also contains a lot of useful tips on iPhone photography.
As the Bird Flies
This comprehensive record of a young traveller's life is full of great info for travellers and non-travellers alike. With everything from book reviews to musings from the road, the blog is an inspirational collection of thoughts that will make you want to pack your suitcase.
Where's My Toothbrush
Well written and full of humor, this site is full of interesting stories and fun observations. Created as a sort of travelogue for the author's toothbrush, Where's My Toothbrush is always a charming and interesting read.
Johnny Vagabond
Johnny Vagabond is a blog with great tips for travellers and lots of wonderful personal anecdotes. Well organized and full of beautiful photography, this site has a friendly, conversational feel and an infectiously big heart.
Looking for a Good Place to Eat? Visit These Restaurant Review Sites
April 12, 2012 By
If you’re hoping to branch out beyond your typical dinner locales, it can be a little confusing. Luckily, the Internet has a number of wonderful restaurant review sites that give you the honest truth about dining experience, food, and the service before you head out to a new place.
Urbanspoon.com is an excellent, neighborhood-focused site that draws a userbase of food-friendly eaters who love to talk about their meals with passion. Each restaurant is rated on price, service, and food, and users leave lengthy blog posts on their experience so that subsequent visitors can have the inside scoop.
Chowhound.com is another great, user-run site that collates reviews from some of the smartest foodies around. The site’s discussion boards are a great place for asking questions and finding recommendations.
Gayot.com is an exceptional resource for both restaurant reviews and general information. Although it focuses on higher-end dining, the site does make room for more casual fare as well.
Zagat.com is probably the best-known resource for restaurant ratings, being the publisher of the iconic Zagat Guide, a skinny maroon guidebook of a city’s eateries with reviews assembled from customer feedback. You need to pay a subscription fee to access their site, but it’s well worth it — their rating is a true indication of what you'll find when you step through an eatery's door.
Yelp.com has risen to the top of the user-written review aggregators, and you’re likely to find a wide range of opinions about your restaurant choices there. As long as you're scrupulous and read reviews carefully, you can learn a lot on this site.
Not Alone Program for Military Families Affected by War
April 9, 2012 By
We would like to take the time to familiarize our residents with a helpful program that supports military families whose lives are affected by war. Not Alone, a non-profit organization, aims to “empower warriors and their families in their life after war.”
Not Alone provides many different avenues for receiving anonymous and confidential support at no cost, including:
- eGroups
- Training
- Workshops
- Personal Clinical Care for anything including post-traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, and medical management
- Forums/Discussion Boards
- Social Networks
- Retreats for warriors and for spouses
- eClinic
Not Alone hosts weekly online groups for spouses on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Caregiver/Spouse Support Groups are held on Wednesday nights. The first Wednesday of every month is an open topic, with the rest of the Wednesdays dedicated to our series, 7 Lives of Military wives. Thursdays are Trench Talk, an open forum discussion revolving around deployment cycle issues.
To enter the group, go to http://notalone.webex.com
Under the "Today" tab, join the session up to 30 minutes before start time.
Wednesday password: "spouses"
Thursday password: "trenchtalk"
Are you unsure whether or not you should seek support? To determine your stress and anxiety levels, take Not Alone’s free Stress Assessment Test.
If you’re looking for immediate assistance, please contact the Not Alone eClinic, a 24/7 hotline at 1-866-781-8010.
For further information about Not Alone, visit their website at: http://notalone.com. You can also follow Not Alone on Facebook and Twitter.
Dealing With Spring Allergies
April 5, 2012 By
Nothing can ruin a perfect spring day like those first signs of allergies. If you're like millions of other Americans, you may know them well – itchy eyes, a sneeze or two and you know soon enough you’ll be miserable. Try these tips to nip allergies in the bud.
Keep it clean – You can’t control pollen outside, but you can at least keep your house as free of pollen as possible. To prevent allergens from invading your home, wash bedding weekly in hot water, clean and vacuum regularly, and step up your air filter changes in air conditioners and your furnace during allergy season.
Talk to your doctor – There are medications with mild to nonexistent side effects that help tame seasonal allergies before they start. If your allergies are affecting your quality of life, make an appointment with your doctor to see if there is a prescription that is right for you.
Change clothes and shower after spending time outdoors – Pollen can accumulate on clothing and in hair, so limit your exposure by getting rid of it as soon as you come inside. You should also bathe pets who spend time outside more frequently.
Reduce clutter – Less clutter means fewer places for dust, mold and allergies to hide. Try to limit hiding places like carpets throw rugs, and regularly vacuum and wash any rugs you do have.
Wear a mask and gloves when cleaning – While a clean house will make you feel much better, the process of cleaning can throw allergens into the air and aggravate your symptoms. Protect yourself while you clean with a face mask and gloves.
Schedule around high pollen times – Pollen counts are highest outside in the late morning and early afternoon. Try to plan your day to avoid being outside at these times.
