http://www.articlearmies.com Articles posted by Vader West. en-us Copyright (c) 2005 ArticleTime.com http://www.articlearmies.com/articles/Social-Issues/something-borrowed-something-blue.html Ever wonder where all those wedding traditions come from? Depending on where you live, weddings you attend will all have different types of things going on. Some will be in churches, some at the beach; some will even play The Chicken Dance at the reception. Typical weddings in the United States are loosely based on the Italian's structure. If the couple and couple's families are religious, they start out their ceremony in a church or somewhere where a priest or pastor can unite them and a usual mass is performed. If it is the bride's first marriage, she must wear white. This is usually called a white wedding, and originated from Victorian England, and symbolized purity. In Italy, wedding invitations are to this day still engraved and addressed by hand to show the importance of the occasion. One interesting tradition that many brides must wear is "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a lucky sixpence in her shoe" symbolizing the unity of both families, fidelity, virginity, and financial security. This is also a Victorian-era tradition, but is now a part of many weddings celebrated in many countries. Christians believe that marriage is one of the Seven Sacraments and it is encouraged for couples to get married, that is why is it sometimes referred to as "Holy Matrimony". And as far as Christian weddings go, Catholics believe it is morally wrong to divorce and if done, neither of the couple may remarry in the church. The term "cocktail hour" comes from Italian tradition. At the start of a reception, the bridal party and all the guests are separated for an hour and served cocktails. Nowadays, this hour is typically used for taking pictures and getting things ready. As soon as the hour is over, the bride and groom and rest of the bridal party enter and perform their first dance. At one point, no gifts were given. Instead, everyone brought the newlyweds an envelope of money and received a wedding favor in return. In ancient Celtic times, the bride and groom to be married would tie their hands together (called "Handfasting"). This is where the phrase "typing the knot" came from. It's rarely still used today, mainly in families that celebrate a pagan lifestyle. And then there are the popular traditions such as rice. Rice is thrown to wish the newlyweds prosperity in their pantry. Then there's the cake cutting ceremony where the bride and groom often smear cake on each other's faces. And then there's the part where the bride tosses her bouquet and the groom tosses his bride's garter. Whoever catches the bouquet and garter is said to be the next in line to be married. http://www.articlearmies.com/articles/Writing/writing-a-research-paper.html Who doesn't dread a research paper? That familiar foe we encounter in so often. We toil away endlessly into different mediums looking for any and all relevant information you can use only to find that in the end you still don't have enough information you need to write your paper. Does this sound familiar? The process of creating a proper research paper is tough work. It requires you to develop a firm understanding of a topic you've in many cases never heard of and then form a thesis which you must support with your research. The key I found to smoothly writing a research paper is to research properly. The thought of starting on your paper may be daunting but the more time you give yourself to work on it the better. The first step of any research paper is of course research. If you do not have a set thesis to write about, do some background research on your topic. Do not simply skim over a few summaries and make a decision based on them. The amount of background reading you do here will help you form a strong thesis with plenty of strong facts to support or reject it. The absolute last thing you want is to be stuck struggling to write a paper with a weak thesis with little to no evidence around it or even worse to have to switch your thesis for a better one half way through your writing process. Now that you have selected your thesis, it's time to do some extensive research on it. This part is definitely a grind because you may find a good amount of information in your first hour or you may go hours without a scrap of useful information. It is hit and miss, but keep with it and give yourself breaks and make sure to try lots of different sources. For a research paper, the best source to find information is probably scientific journals. These are filled with first hand research articles by professionals in their field. Of course books are another great source to look through and should never be overlooked. Their only draw back may be that it may be hard to find the exact bit of information you need in a large book dedicated to your general topic. The internet always gets mixed reviews when it comes to its usefulness as a research tool. I think it's a great tool and it may be the most efficient, a trait I'm sure most students hold in high regard. It is true that there is a lot of false information on the internet however there is also a lot of quality information there too. A rule of thumbs that I have always used for internet research is to cross reference everything. You must find two sources that report the same information in order for it to be deemed trustworthy. Wikipedia along with other internet encyclopedia's have a wealth of information that should always be checked out. A helpful tip is to make use of the search tools. Many search functions have tools that can enhance your searches and narrow down the number of hits. Hopefully getting all the information you need won't be too painful of a process. Just remember to give yourself as much time as possible to do the research; you'll be happy you did once you start writing. http://www.articlearmies.com/articles/Advertising/buying-your-first-car.html So your sixteen, just got your driver's license, and ready for your first car. Off to the Porsche dealer right? Funny. The truth is you can forget about any dreams of getting a super car and any of those high class Italians and start thinking and looking into cars that are a bit more practical. The most important things to consider in a car are its price and reliability. Because really a car's real purpose is simply to get you from point A to point B. everything else is just gravy. It is likely that your first car will be used so make sure you do proper research before scouring through the internet and reference books for you car. Look for histories of problems with certain models of cars. Also, it may be a good idea to look into a car that is a very popular model. I know that some people dislike that idea because they want to be unique and break away from the mold. But the fact is that popular models have more spare and replacement part made for them. What does that mean? It means that when you get in your first accident with your car it will cost significantly less to replace you dented bumper than it would on a car where parts are scarce and hard to find. So if you don’t want a huge hit to your wallet every time you get a ding in your car (and believe me you’ll be getting plenty of these), do your research. Now you've considered a couple models you want and now you think you've found one for a good price. Seller says no previous accidents, low miles, good condition. Sounds good right? Make sure. Carfax is an amazing tool and is worth spending a few dollars to find out the history of a car. Many people try and cover up past accidents or high mileage. Carfax gives you a true history report of everything that is known about the car. From the number of oil changes to the mileage it was last serviced at carfax really does tell you a lot of important information. If something sounds fishy and what the seller is saying doesn’t quite match up to what carfax says, I would avoid it and look for another car. Finally make sure to check out the car in person. In this case you can never be too thorough so make sure to check everything. Check the exterior for any signs of an accident. Parts with non-matching paint, lines that don’t completely match up, and if you did your research non manufacturer parts. With non manufacturer parts be careful because you do not know the quality of these parts. A lot of poor quality parts are on the market and although they may look nice, they actually lower the value of the car. If possible take the car out for a drive. Listen for any unusual sounds and test the brakes for any sounds or unresponsiveness. If you’re satisfied with your car after all this then take the plunge and make an offer. Don’t think that you’ll be able to haggle your way to getting a steal on your car. Come in with an idea of what a good offer is and start a little below it working your way up to it as the negotiation goes on, remembering not to go over your previously set price. If all goes well you’ll be driving away in your very own car. Congratulations. http://www.articlearmies.com/articles/Education/traps-that-students-fall-into.html So you've graduated from high school and now you are off to the next step in your educational career. Whether you decided to attend a public state college or a private university, there are many things that students need to be wary about otherwise they will fall into academic probation and fail which eventually gets them kicked out of school. The school, either you and or your parents worked so hard for you to attend. The school in which was the bridge from your sheltered childhood into becoming a citizen of the community. Most students have recently graduated are eighteen or about to turn eighteen. And because of how people in today's society consider eighteen year olds as an adult by legal means, many newly graduates fail to see that they are still inexperienced in the real world. And so they make many foolish choices in their early years of college and become trapped into of many of life's pitfalls. One of the most common examples of the pitfalls is the newly begotten responsibility of the college schedule. From elementary to high school, a schedule is already created for the student to follow and is expected for the student to attend everyday the school is open. In college the idea of a schedule is completely different. In college the classes don't always repeat every day but are usually are on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday or a Tuesday-Thursday schedule. And the professors also don't usually make it mandatory to attend the classes to pass the class. All that needs to be done is doing all the homework, quizzes, tests and the final exam which results in them being arrogant and believing they can skip their classes and still pass the class. Another pitfall students can fall into is the partying. Some students have their own place others are part of fraternities or sororities but one thing is common among most of them. They love to party. Because they attend so many parties and gatherings they slowly ignore their schoolwork and begin to start failing their classes one by one eventually leading them into academic probation. A third common trap that many students fall into obsession of some hobby with the most common one being computer games and gambling. Because many now new students have access to a credit card and are now allowed to gamble at certain locations, they begin to take up on hobbies that take up all their time and money and become totally obsess themselves in it. Students who spend all their time to play games become secluded from society and completely enslaved by it and those who become addicted to gambling find themselves in huge debt. There are many problems that may arise that become distractions for students who have just entered the adult world. They are inexperience, easily manipulated and foolish to begin with. To prevent these from happening to you it is up to you the student or the parent or guardian to try to prevent these from happening. Don't start procrastinating because you can. Make sure you get your work done before you spend your time to do your own thing. Either limit yourself, or even better don't gamble your money away. The world is a scary place, and there isn't always someone there to watch your back.