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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Live from Michigan

The Boy and I just returned from Ann Arbor, where we went so he could check out the University of Michigan. It was a discovery trip for him and a nostalgia trip for me.

My parents both went there; it was where they met. It was the early 60’s. He was a graduate student, she was an undergrad. She embraced the U more than he did; to this day, she’ll break into a chorus of “Hail to the Victors” at the slightest provocation. When I was college-hunting, she laid out the ground rules: anywhere I wanted, but if I went to Michigan State, I’d get no help from her, and if I went to Ohio State, I was excommunicated from the family. Anything else was fine. In Ann Arbor, that line of reasoning makes sense.

Shortly after I went to college -- a small liberal arts school in New England that didn’t trigger any alarm bells -- she moved back to Ann Arbor for a job close to her parents. I spent several college summers there, sometimes working for environmental groups and once doing an internship in the Mayor’s office, where I discovered that I didn’t want to be a lawyer. (Ruling out possibilities is one of the seldom-noted, but very real, payoffs of internships.) Although I was of traditional college age, and I was surrounded by U of M students, I was never a student there. One group used to be based in the Michigan Union, so I spent a lot of time there, and I got to know the local bus system pretty well. Schoolkids Records and the original Borders Books were favorite hangouts. For a few years in the late 80’s, Ann Arbor was a sort of home base, if not really home.

When I share that with TB, of course, I might as well be talking about Periclean Athens. He has been a fan of U of M sports for years, despite my near-total indifference to NCAA athletics. As he prepared college lists, Michigan kept popping up. I knew from our Boston visit last year that there’s no substitute for actually seeing a place; Boston U didn’t live up to his expectations, but Northeastern exceeded them. I didn’t want him to idealize Michigan, only to have another Boston U experience, so we planned a trip. His school closed for Rosh Hashanah, so we went.

Without knowing I was doing it, I spent the first hour or so of the visit pointing to various buildings and saying variations on “that used to be…” until it became clear that that was enough, thank you very much. Point taken. This trip was about him.

One of my Mom’s friends who still lives there hosted us for dinner on Sunday, along with her kids and grandkids and a cousin who is a current sophomore at the U. The cousin reminded me a lot of TB’s sister, The Girl, so there was a level of trust already. They spoke glowingly of the U across the generations, including the current one. (The cousin referred to her membership in a student club called NERDS - “Not Even Real Drama Students” -- who put on plays. It was exactly the right note.) So far, so good.

We did the official information session and tour, of course. It was a rainy Monday when classes were in session, so I thought it would offer a representative sample.

TB looked at the facilities, listened for options, and tried on the place for size. I looked for signs of vitality, and found them almost everywhere. (One exception was a kiosk outside of the Lorch building. It had bumper stickers on top for political figures -- Perry Bullard and Lana Pollack -- I remember from the 80’s, as well as a few “Reagan-Bush ‘84” ones.) We both noticed the cars parked along the various streets and in the parking garage. At BU, we saw a lot of Porsches and Mercedes; it was off-putting. In Ann Arbor, as in Pittsburgh, we saw a lot of Hondas and Fords. Much better.

We had to do a few landmarks, of course. We hit Zingerman’s deli, because that’s what you do. And we stopped by the stadium and took his picture in front of it. It holds over 100,000 people, and is apparently the largest stadium in America. It’s not my thing, but he was thrilled.

I hadn’t really put it together until we were in the Detroit airport to head back, but we were flying on Tuesday, September 11, in the morning, on Rosh Hashanah. The airport was weirdly quiet. As we stood in the TSA line, everything stopped, and someone on the loudspeaker announced a moment of silence. Apparently, someone else with microphone access didn’t get the memo, because the moment of silence was filled with “This is the last and final boarding call for flight xxx...REPEAT, this is the last and final boarding call for flight xxx…” As soon as the boarding call ended, so did the moment of silence. If you’ve never seen an entire airport roll its eyes at once, it’s quite the sight.

He was a little wistful on the way back, declaring that the senior year of high school is all well and good, but he’d really rather be in college. He can’t wait.

Mission accomplished.

Source: http://suburbdad.blogspot.com/2018/09/live-from-michigan.html

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Global Education Highlights (weekly)

Recruiters name top graduate learning outcomes | Campus Morning Mail

The survey sought the views of 500 private sector business executives and 500 recruitment managers on the graduate learning outcomes they deemed as most important. These included oral communication, critical thinking, ethical judgment, working effectively in teams, working independently, self motivation, written communication, and real-world application of skills and knowledge.

tags: education skills future learning

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Source: http://www.julielindsay.net/2018/09/global-education-highlights-weekly_9.html

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Welcome to the All New Music Matters Blog!

Right on schedule, my amazing web designer, Tiffany, wrapped up the all new Music Matters Blog design! I am thrilled with how it turned out, and am excited to welcome you to our revamped home on the web. Created to capture the clean, colorful, and creative feel of our music studio, Music Matters Blog will continue to be a place to share ideas and inspiration as we strive to be excellent music teachers for our students. For those of you who might have missed the previous post announcing the coming change, here’s a quick look at the evolution of Music Matters Blog since it was founded in 2005:

The original design when we launched in 2005.

The lovely custom revamp done by Tiffany in 2012.

The sleek new custom design by Tiffany launched today – November 1, 2018

I especially love the addition of the Music Community Friends live feed section where I can quickly see what some of my favorite piano studio bloggers are writing about. I’d love to hear your feedback and look forward to many more years of participating in the wonderful on-line community of music educators!

Source: https://musicmattersblog.com/2018/11/01/welcome-to-the-all-new-music-matters-blog/

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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PhD Position on FPGA Design for Network Security at Ku Leuven in Belgium, 2018

The Ke Leuven University is inviting applications for PhD Scholarship 2018 to study in Belgium.

KU Leuven, located in Belgium, is among the top European universities, ranked as the top university in the Reuters ranking of Europe’s most innovative universities. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, international university that performs both basic and applied research.

It is a highly interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary institution focused and committed to international excellence. KU Leuven actively works on this together with its research partners in Belgium and abroad. The university offers an academic education that is based on scientific research of high quality.

The applicant will be a member of the ES&S (Embedded Systems & Security) group on Campus Diepenbeek and the COSIC (Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography) group in Leuven.

Scholarship Description:

Application Deadline: November 9, 2018

Course Level: Scholarship is available to pursue PhD Degree program.

Study Subject: Scholarships are awarded to study in FPGA design.

Scholarship Award: The successful candidate will be offered a PhD fellowship to become part of our team to work towards a PhD. This full-time mandate has duration of four years based on yearly contracts. The final goal will be obtaining a PhD after four years.

Number of Scholarships: Numbers not given.

Nationality: The scholarship is available for Belgium citizens.

Scholarship can be taken in Belgium

Eligibility for the Scholarship:

Eligible Countries: The scholarship is available for Belgium citizens.

Entrance Requirements: We are looking for a candidate with the following qualifications:

Candidates must hold a master’s degree in electronics engineering or computer engineering; have good grades, experience in FPGA design and a keen interest in security.

Candidates who can demonstrate that they have developed their research skills during their master’s studies.

Adequate English (written and verbal communication) for scientific interactions is required.

Application Procedure:

How to Apply:

All applicants must complete and submit the application form for consideration by the scholarship panel. The university will aim to inform all candidates if their application has been considered successful by the closing date. All unsuccessful candidates will be written to after this date.

The University must support and validate your application for it to be considered by the scholarship panel.

If you have any questions about your eligibility or are having difficulty applying, please contact the university’s international team by emailing.

Scholarship Link

Source: https://scholarship-positions.com/phd-position-on-fpga-design-for-network-security-ku-leuven-in-belgium-2019/2018/10/09/

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Clozemaster. Enrichir son vocabulaire dans une langue étrangère

Clozemaster est une application gratuite pour entretenir et enrichir votre vocabulaire dans une langue étrangère. L’idée est de vous aider à apprendre le vocabulaire de façon naturelle en vous proposant des phrases simples à compléter.

Plutôt que de mémoriser des listes de mots comme de nombreuses applications qui permettent d’apprendre du vocabulaire dans une langue, Clozemaster a fait le choix de vous les proposer dans le contexte de phrases de tous les jours. Un apprentissage naturel qui participe à une meilleure connaissance de la langue que vous êtes en train d’apprendre.

Clozemaster joue la simplicité. L’application fonctionne sur le navigateur de votre ordinateur, mais elle est aussi disponible en version mobile pour votre smartphone ou tablette.

Vous devrez vous inscrire si vous souhaitez conserver votre progression et vos scores, mais vous pouvez aussi utiliser l’application sans inscription préalable. Vous devez toit d’abord choisir votre langue maternelle puis la langue que vous souhaitez pratiquer. Vous avez le choix, Clozemaster propose pas moins de cinquante langues étrangères.

Clozemaster va vous proposer des phrases régulières et en vous demandant de compléter un mot manquant. Vous pourrez en allant dans les préférences définir si le joueur doit trouver le mot en en le tapant ou s’il pourra le choisir dans une liste déroulante à choix multiples. Vous pouvez aussi décider si la traduction de la phrase proposée s’affiche ou non.

Autre bonne idée des concepteurs de Clozemaster, après avoir terminé une phrase, elle est lue à haute voix par un locuteur natif. Ils lisent clairement, mais à un rythme de conversation. Cela participe à vous mettre à l’aise et d’entendre les mots prononcés d’une manière normale dans une conversation.

L’application vous propose des séries de dix questions et un système de points pour marquer votre progression. Une bonne idée et une bonne réalisation même s’il manque une option pour régler la difficulté du vocabulaire et des phrases proposées. De ce fait Clozemaster n’est pas adapté à des étudiants faisant leurs tout premiers pas dans une langue.

Clozemaster propose une version premium payante avec des fonctions supplémentaires, mais la version gratuite est amplement suffisante pour la plupart des besoins.

Lien : Clozemaster.

Source: https://outilstice.com/2018/09/clozemaster-enrichir-son-vocabulaire-dans-une-langue-etrangere/

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Unpacking our educators’ belief systems

Recently I shared some stories of youth using technology in amazing, empowered ways with a group of educators. One of them asked me:

So you believe that students should be on computers all the time in school?

I was taken aback for a second. It’s an enormous leap from ‘technology can empower students in interesting ways’ to ‘technology should be used in instruction all of the time every day.’ I quickly clarified that, although I surely believe in the power of technology to empower students, I don’t actually believe what she alleged. But it was a good reminder that when we’re having conversations or working with educators in professional learning settings, what we say to them may not be what they hear.

Everyone brings their own lenses and belief systems to the work. We know this. Sometimes we see it in the body posture of our conversational colleagues: head nods, smiles, and lean-ins are easily discernible, as are frowns, crossed arms, and lean-backs. Sometimes they’re just disengaged or disinterested – it’s always a joy to share something that you think is really powerful about student learning – something that you think will really resonate with folks – and then have someone from the group ask you about … the digital countdown timer you’re using. It is what it is.

As school leaders, if we want to effectuate lasting change, we have to meet our people where they are. And that means unpacking their lenses and belief systems so that we can connect with their side of the conversation and their side of the thinking process. This is difficult, complex work but it’s necessary. Otherwise we’re just talking past folks.

One more time: as with our children, just because we said it to our fellow educators doesn’t mean they heard it, understood it, or cared about it.

Image credit: Shrugging woman, koldunovaaa, Bigstock

Source: http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2018/09/unpacking-our-educators-belief-systems.html

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Discovery of the Planet Vulcan Is Announced (1860)

Vulcan was a small planet proposed to exist in an orbit between Mercury and the Sun. Attempting to explain peculiarities of Mercury's orbit, the 19th-century French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier hypothesized that they were the result of another planet, which he named "Vulcan".

A number of reputable investigators became involved in the search for Vulcan, but no such planet was ever found, and the peculiarities in Mercury's orbit have now been explained by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.[1] Searches of NASA's two STEREO spacecraft data have failed to detect any vulcanoid asteroids between Mercury and the Sun that might have accounted for claimed observations of Vulcan.[2] It is doubtful that there are any vulcanoids larger than 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) in diameter.[2] Other than Mercury, asteroid 2007 EB26 with a semi-major axis of 0.55 AU (82,000,000 km; 51,000,000 mi) has the smallest known semi-major axis orbiting the Sun.[3]

Argument for Vulcan's existence

In 1840, François Arago, the director of the Paris Observatory, suggested to the French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier that he work on the topic of the planet Mercury's orbital motion around the Sun. The goal of this study was to construct a model based on Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion and gravitation. By 1843, Le Verrier published his provisional theory on the subject, which would be tested during a transit of Mercury across the face of the Sun in 1843. As it turned out, predictions from Le Verrier's theory failed to match the observations.[4]

Le Verrier renewed his work and, in 1859, published a more thorough study of Mercury's motion. This was based on a series of meridian observations of the planet as well as 14 transits. The rigor of this study meant that any differences from observation would be caused by some unknown factor. Indeed, there still remained some discrepancy.[4] During Mercury's orbit, its perihelion advances by a small amount each orbit, technically called perihelion precession. The phenomenon is predicted by classical mechanics, but the observed value differed from the predicted value by the small amount of 43 arcseconds per century.

Le Verrier postulated that the excess precession could be explained by the presence of a small planet inside the orbit of Mercury, and he proposed the name "Vulcan" for this object. In Roman mythology, Vulcan was the god of beneficial and hindering fire,[5] including the fire of volcanoes, making it an apt name for a planet so close to the Sun. Le Verrier's recent success in discovering the planet Neptune[6] using the same techniques lent veracity to his claim, and astronomers around the world attempted to observe a new planet there, but nothing was ever found.

The search for Vulcan

In December 1859, Le Verrier received a letter from a French physician and amateur astronomer called Edmond Modeste Lescarbault, who claimed to have seen a transit of the hypothetical planet earlier in the year. Le Verrier took the train to the village of Orgères-en-Beauce, some 70 kilometres southwest of Paris, where Lescarbault had built himself a small observatory. Le Verrier arrived unannounced and proceeded to interrogate the man.

Lescarbault described in detail how, on 26 March 1859, he noticed a small black dot on the face of the Sun,[7] which he was studying with his modest 3.75 inches (95 mm) refractor. Thinking it to be a sunspot, Lescarbault was not at first surprised, but after some time had passed he realized that it was moving. Having observed the transit of Mercury in 1845, he guessed that what he was observing was another transit, but of a previously undiscovered body. He took some hasty measurements of its position and direction of motion, and using an old clock and a pendulum with which he took his patients’ pulses, he estimated the duration of the transit at 1 hour, 17 minutes and 9 seconds.

Le Verrier thought he was satisfied that Lescarbault had seen the transit of a previously unknown planet. On 2 January 1860 he announced the discovery of Vulcan to a meeting of the Académie des Sciences in Paris. Lescarbault, for his part, was awarded the Légion d'honneur and invited to appear before numerous learned societies.

Not everyone accepted the veracity of Lescarbault's "discovery", however. An eminent French astronomer, Emmanuel Liais, who was working for the Brazilian government in Rio de Janeiro in 1859, claimed to have been studying the surface of the Sun with a telescope twice as powerful as Lescarbault's at the very moment that Lescarbault said he observed his mysterious transit. Liais, therefore, was "in a condition to deny, in the most positive manner, the passage of a planet over the sun at the time indicated".[8]

Based on Lescarbault’s "transit", Le Verrier computed Vulcan’s orbit: it supposedly revolved about the Sun in a nearly circular orbit at a distance of 21 million kilometres, or 0.14 astronomical units. The period of revolution was 19 days and 17 hours, and the orbit was inclined to the ecliptic by 12 degrees and 10 minutes (an incredible degree of precision). As seen from the Earth, Vulcan’s greatest elongation from the Sun was 8 degrees.

Numerous reports — all of them unreliable — began to reach Le Verrier from other amateurs who claimed to have seen unexplained transits. Some of these reports referred to observations made many years earlier, and many could not be properly dated. Nevertheless, Le Verrier continued to tinker with Vulcan’s orbital parameters as each new reported sighting reached him. He frequently announced dates of future Vulcan transits, and when these failed to materialize, he tinkered with the parameters some more.

Among the earlier alleged observers of Vulcan, the following are the most noteworthy:[9]

Gruithuisen, on 26 June 1819, reported seeing "two small spots … on the Sun, round, black and unequal in size"

Pastorff, on 23 October 1822, 24 and 25 July 1823, six times in 1834, on 18 October 1836, 1 November 1836 and on 16 February 1837, also claimed to have seen two spots; the larger was 3 arcseconds across, and the smaller 1.25 arcseconds.

Shortly after eight o'clock on the morning of 29 January 1860, F A R Russell and three other people saw an alleged transit of an intra-Mercurial planet from London.[10] An American observer, Richard Covington, many years later claimed to have seen a well-defined black spot progress across the Sun’s disk around 1860, when he was stationed in Washington Territory.[11]

No "observations" of Vulcan were made in 1861. Then, on the morning of 22 March 1862, between eight and nine o’clock Greenwich Time, another amateur astronomer, a Mr Lummis of Manchester, England, saw a transit. His colleague whom he alerted also saw the event. Based on these two men's reports, two French astronomers, Benjamin Valz and Rodolphe Radau, independently calculated the object’s supposed orbital period, with Valz deriving a figure of 17 days and 13 hours, and Radau a figure of 19 days and 22 hours.

On 8 May 1865 another French astronomer, Aristide Coumbrary observed an unexpected transit from Istanbul, Turkey.

Between 1866 and 1878 no reliable observations of the hypothetical planet were made. Then, during the total solar eclipse of 29 July 1878, two experienced astronomers, Professor James Craig Watson, the director of the Ann Arbor Observatory in Michigan, and Lewis Swift, an amateur from Rochester, New York, both claimed to have seen a Vulcan-type planet close to the Sun. Watson, observing from Separation, Wyoming, placed the planet about 2.5 degrees southwest of the Sun, and estimated its magnitude at 4.5. Swift, who was observing the eclipse from a location near Denver, Colorado, saw what he took to be an intra-mercurial planet about 3 degrees southwest of the Sun. He estimated its brightness to be the same as that of Theta Cancri, a fifth-magnitude star which was also visible during totality, about six or seven minutes from the "planet". Theta Cancri and the planet were very nearly in line with the centre of the Sun.

Watson and Swift had reputations as excellent observers. Watson had already discovered more than twenty asteroids, while Swift had several comets named after him. Both described the colour of their hypothetical intra-mercurial planet as "red". Watson reported that it had a definite disk – unlike stars, which appear in telescopes as mere points of light – and that its phase indicated that it was approaching superior conjunction.

These are merely the more "reliable observations" of alleged intra-Mercurial planets. For half a century or more, many other observers tried to find the hypothetical Vulcan. Many false alarms were triggered by round sunspots that closely resembled planets in transit. During solar eclipses, stars close to the Sun were mistaken for planets. At one point, to reconcile different observations, at least two intra-mercurial planets were postulated.

Search conclusion

In 1877 Le Verrier died, convinced to the end of having discovered another planet. With the loss of its principal proponent, however, the search for Vulcan abated. After many years of searching, astronomers were seriously doubting the planet's existence.

In 1915 Einstein's theory of relativity, an entirely different approach to understanding gravity than classical mechanics, solved the problem.[1] His equations predicted exactly the observed amount of advance of Mercury's perihelion without any recourse to the existence of a hypothetical Vulcan. The new theory modified the predicted orbits of all planets, but the magnitude of the differences from Newtonian theory diminishes rapidly as one gets farther from the Sun. Also, Mercury's fairly eccentric orbit makes it much easier to detect the perihelion shift than is the case for the nearly circular orbits of Venus and Earth.

Vulcanoids

Observing a planet inside the orbit of Mercury would be extremely difficult, since the telescope must be pointed very close to the Sun, where the sky is never black. Also, an error in pointing the telescope can result in damage for the optics, and injury to the observer. The huge amount of light present even quite far away from the Sun can produce false reflections inside the optics, thus fooling the observer into seeing things that do not exist.

The best observational strategy might be to monitor the Sun's disk for possible transits, but transits would only be seen from Earth provided the object orbits close enough to the ecliptic plane. A small, dark spot might be seen to move across the Sun's disk, as happens regularly with transits of Mercury and Venus.

In 1915, when Einstein successfully explained the apparent anomaly in Mercury's orbit, most astronomers abandoned the search for Vulcan. A few, however, remained convinced that not all the alleged observations of Vulcan were unfounded. Among these was Henry C Courten, of Dowling College, New York. Studying photographic plates of the 1970 eclipse of the Sun, he and his associates detected several objects which appeared to be in orbits close to the Sun.[12] Even accounting for artifacts, Courten felt that at least seven of the objects were real. The appearance of some of these objects was confirmed by another observer in North Carolina, while a third observer in Virginia saw one of them.

Courten believed that an intra-Mercurial planetoid between 130 and 800 kilometres in diameter was orbiting the Sun at a distance of about 0.1 AU. Other images on his eclipse plates led him to postulate the existence of an asteroid belt between Mercury and the Sun.

None of these claims has ever been substantiated after more than forty years of observation. It has been surmised, however, that some of these objects - and other alleged intra-Mercurial objects - may exist, being nothing more than previously unknown comets or small asteroids. Today, the search continues for these so-called vulcanoid asteroids, which are thought to exist in the region where Vulcan was once sought. None have been found yet and searches have ruled out any such asteroids larger than about 6 km.[2] Neither SOHO nor STEREO have detected a planet inside the orbit of Mercury.[13][2]

Further reading

Baum, Richard; Sheehan, William (1997). In Search of Planet Vulcan, The Ghost in Newton's Clockwork Machine. New York: Plenum Press. ISBN 0-306-45567-6.

The subject was also featured on an episode of Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World entitled "Strange Skies", originally broadcast on November 18, 1980.

External links

Source: https://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Vulcan+%28hypothetical+planet%29

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Funny master of his craft

You know you have comedy in your blood when your father has a cracking sense of humour, and you grew up watching your mother regale you with impersonations. That, coupled with the ability to create adroit sketches and reel out glib monologues clinches the deal, for what could pave way for a career filled with renown, stardom, a lot of laughs, and a really cool nickname, such as the “Batman of comedy”. Welcome to Adnan ‘Batman’ Nalwala’s world — businessman by day, and on comes the cape at night, when he transforms into one of the country’s top, most well-loved stand-up comedians.

An Indian comedian based in the Middle East, Adnan has a funny bone that helps him finalise business deals with lightning-fast speed, just like his moves on stage.

Comic headstart

Adnan realised his knack and penchant for comedy as early as third grade. “I wanted to be known for the ability to put a smile on anyone’s face. So, back in school, I took to mimicry, often imitating teachers and narrating funny incidents that I had dealt with. In third grade, a teacher from another class invited me to perform a 35-minute impersonation session of all the teachers in school. I vividly remember how I had the whole class in splits. Thereafter, teachers would invite me to their class to show them their impersonations,” reminisces a beaming Adnan. “By high-school, I had built some ‘buzz’. In fact, when I graduated, I was given the award for the most humorous person of the batch of ‘97,” he continues.

It was after his first show in Mumbai, in 2009, that realisation dawned on Adnan, that he had a future in comedy. He was performing in front of a crowd that had come to watch musicians. So, for the audience to accept him was a win. The icing on the cake was when one of the guys in the front row nearly fell off his chair, laughing, and another audience member wanted to know when his next gig was; the latter was keen on bringing his friends. “That really made me believe in my comedy,” says Adnan.

Expert juggler

Most students who do well in life are not necessarily brilliant, believes Adnan — they merely manage their time better. “That’s what I too did,” he explains. “I put myself in situations which enabled me to improve my comedy. I ensured that I made all my business presentations with a twist of humour. I took up a lot of writing and focused on concise reports. In my free time, instead of watching TV and films, I would go and see live comedians to learn the art. I graduated with honours in my undergrad, and had two jobs offers, when I completed my bachelor’s as well as MBA. Though this did not add to my comedy portfolio, it nevertheless instilled in me, discipline, and taught me the value of time.”

He elaborates on how, when conducting business, a sense of humour is a must. “Being a good comedian is serious business,” he quips. “That way, wearing both hats help the cause. Most people in the corporate world are high-strung, but when you bring in a joke, it lightens up the mood. Moreover, it is impossible for everyone to deliver all the time, and if your senior management is undergoing a tough time, cracking a few jokes helps. Everyone looks up to a boss who is smart, but they tend to love you if you have a sense of humour. Luckily for me, my passion is recognised professionally, and instead of spending money I get paid,” he gleefully adds.

Like many of his peers, many of Adnan’s gigs are inspired from his experiences — he has lived in seven countries and travelled to over 40. The mammoth travelling, he is sure, was instrumental in helping him put out content that others could relate to. He also believes in expending a lot of energy on stage and using physicality, for, he wants people to believe they are coming to witness a performance and not merely listening to jokes.

Recently, the funny man introduced a game called SPILL IT. Ask him how it is connected to stand-up comedy, and he is quick to clarify, “The game sprang from the idea that asking suppositional questions can provide you with startling insights into the lives of people you know, and those you don’t. It is an interactive card game which comprises hypothetical questions that stimulate the mind to think. The questions are great plots for stand-up scripts and helps you comprehend the individual behind the brand, better. Most leading comedians have written a book. I went for something different in which my audience can understand who I am, as a person, and also participate in something which will make them evolve as better people.”

For aspirants

Adnan urges youngsters to travel and attempt things that they haven’t done before. “Sky diving, marathons, scuba diving, all these will give you plenty of content to write about. Also, don’t focus on being famous. Focus on having quality content. Producers can tell if someone is chasing fame or trying to display talent. In the long run, the latter always prevails,” he says, signing off.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/education/funny-master-of-his-craft/article26289519.ece?_escaped_fragment_=

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Press the right buttons

If you press, push or hit all the right buittons, you make someone react or respond in exactly the right way to get what you want.

Idioms similar to 'Press the right buttons'

All idioms have been editorially reviewed, and submitted idioms may have been edited for correctness and completeness.

Source: https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/press+the+right+buttons.html

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‘Focus on the shortcuts’

The much awaited CLAT will take place on Sunday, May 26, after a two-week postponement due to the ongoing elections. This year, it will be an offline test, and for the first time, it is being organised by the newly constituted CLAT Consortium. Here are some last-minute tips to help you fine tune your preparation:

Consolidate: In the last week leading to the exam, desist from learning new concepts and instead, focus on revising what you have already mastered. You should also make a subject–wise list of important concepts and revise them thoroughly.

Mock exams: Attempting them helps in time-management and understanding your strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of taking mock tests is not just to find your overall rank or score; it is a tool which aids in strategic exam prep. Hence, analysing mistakes and spending time on each section will help you plan better for the D-day.

Avoid distractions: It is not unusual to see aspirants losing focus and going off-track, or giving up during this crucial phase of preparation. It is during such times that parents and mentors should instil confidence and faith in them, and encourage them to run the final leg of the race with renewed enthusiasm. Focus on your goal and do not allow anybody, or anything, to detract you from reaching your target.

Past year papers: This is an indispensable part of your preparation. Do not undermine the importance of working out these papers, as it will help you get into the groove, and give you a first hand opportunity to understand the depth and nature of questions asked. While the same question will certainly not feature in forthcoming test, you can take vital cues from the style of questioning and prepare on those lines.

Mind matters: While most students are likely to have almost the same level of preparation, attitude plays a crucial role in one’s success. CLAT is not tough, but it is certainly tricky. Apart from knowledge, you should have mindfulness to focus on each question carefully, especially in logic and legal reasoning sections. Second, an unemotional and uncluttered state of mind will help you counter surprises in the question paper. Finally, a composed state of mind is necessary to sail through sections confidently, with good speed and high strike rate.

Subject-wise preparation

English:

Practise reading comprehension.

Focus on grammar rules.

Work on idioms and phrases

Arithmetic:

Revise basic arithmetic formulae

Focus on shortcuts and time-saving methods

General knowledge:

Concentrate on current affairs spanning the last six months

Practise MCQs on static and current affairs, to reduce the reaction time during exam

Logical reasoning:

Give importance to both analytical and logical reasoning

Practise a wide range of questions to get a solid grip over this dicey subject

Legal reasoning:

Working out the previous years’ question papers is a valuable exercise to gain confidence, as this section is unique to CLAT

Familiarise yourself with current legal developments

Thorough knowledge of Latin legal terms and maxims is a must

The writer is mentor and director, Sriram Law Academy

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/education/focus-on-the-shortcuts/article27169862.ece?_escaped_fragment_=

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Dean’s Indian Law Scholarship at the University of Strathclyde, UK

If you appear to be an Indian citizen curious opportunities to study abroad then you will be thrilled to know about the Dean’s Indian Scholarship (Law). The program is funded by The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Strathclyde.

The fund is established to support the Indian candidates towards the cost of their tuition fees for each year of the course. Grant is available for a full-time law program beginning in September.

Award

Application Process

Clarity of Information

Summary

Great law program opportunity for Indians.

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The University of Strathclyde is Glasgow’s second-oldest university with students and staff from over 100 countries. It is ranked Scotland’s third-largest university by the number of students. It is an innovation center for technological research.

Why at the University of Strathclyde? The university offers international candidates many options to complete a program or progression to degree study. It provides academic modules, study skills, and English language training. Applicants can get the best chance of success when they progress to their degree at the University.

Application Deadline: August 30, 2019

Eligibility

To be eligible for this studentship, the applicants must commence their academic studies by the academic year September 2019. Students must be applying for a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate program.

How to Apply

How to apply: For obtaining this education award, applicants need to apply for admission in undergraduate and postgraduate degree coursework. After being enrolled, suitable students will automatically receive this reward. They do not need to formally apply for it.

Supporting Documents: You must have to attach a copy of passport, statement of purpose, transcripts, curriculum vitae, and personal details.

Admission Requirements: For entry in an undergraduate and postgraduate degree, you need to have certified copies of qualifications you’ve gained, degree certificate.

Language Requirement: If English is not the candidate’s first language, then they need to provide a suitable English language test certificate for example IELTS.

Benefits

The grantee will receive the amount £3000 or £4,000 for their tuition fees for each year of their course.

Source: https://scholarship-positions.com/deans-indian-law-scholarship-at-the-university-of-strathclyde-uk/2019/04/24/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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How to Block and Report Cyberbullies on Instagram

Guest Blogger | Movie/DVD/Book Reviewer | Mom of three

Senior Editor, Parent Education | Mom of one

Senior Parenting Editor | Mom of one

Associate Managing Editor | Kid at heart

Executive Editor, Ratings & Reviews | Mom of two

Executive Editor, Parenting Content and Distribution | Mom of two

Guest Blogger | Movie Reviewer | Mom of two

Source: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-block-and-report-cyberbullies-on-instagram

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship Program at University of Toronto

Last updated: 21 Aug 2018 |

University of Toronto Bachelors Degree

Deadline: 30 Nov 2018 (annual) Study in: Canada Course starts 2019

Brief description:

The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship Program at the University of Toronto is intended to recognize international students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and creativity and who are recognized as leaders within their school. A special emphasis is placed on the impact the student has had on the life of their school and community, and their future potential to contribute positively to the global community.

Host Institution(s):

University of Toronto, Canada

Level/Field of study:

Undergraduate programme offered at the University

Number of Awards:

Each year, approximately 37 students will be named Lester B. Pearson Scholars.

Target group:

International students from around the world, including international students studying at Canadian high schools.

Scholarship value/inclusions/duration:

The scholarship will cover tuition, books, incidental fees, and full residence support for four years.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply to the Pearson International Scholarship, you must be:

• an international student (i.e. a non-Canadian requiring a study permit);

• currently in your final year of secondary school or have graduated no earlier than June 2018

• beginning your studies at the University of Toronto in September 2019 (students already attending post-secondary studies cannot be considered; students starting their studies in January 2019 at another post-secondary institution cannot be considered)

Application instructions:

To become a Pearson Scholar, you must be nominated by your school and apply to undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto. To apply, you’ll need to:

The school nomination deadline is 30 November 2018; the student admissions deadline is 17 December 2018; and the scholarship application deadline is 15 January 2019.

It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website: http://future.utoronto.ca/pearson/about#about

Source: http://www.scholars4dev.com/20918/lester-b-pearson-international-scholarship-program-at-university-of-toronto/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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estrecho: narrow

Take our new Word of the Day courses.

Access the Word of the Day course in Transparent Language Online, where you can listen, speak, read, and write each new word until you really memorize it.

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Existing users can start learning now. New users can try it free!

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Source: https://www.transparent.com/word-of-the-day/today/spanish.html?date=12-18-2018

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bloodjeans15-blog · 5 years

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How to Make Yourself Study if You don’t Want to Study

“I don’t feel like it” is the favorite phrase a student uses when it comes to studying. And it genuinely happens. Students normally do not feel like studying until there is an immense pressure of deadlines. They keep on putting the study work on to the next hour or the next day.

By the time the deadline motivation kicks in, students realize that maybe it is too late. They panic, start studying hastily, skip the topics and grasp nothing properly. Results are severely affected and there is no solid learning. All the precious time goes down the drain. So, how to escape this fruitless moment of “Not feeling like it”?

Why study?

To do any task, the best thing is to remind oneself about the importance of that task. Feeling lazy to workout? Remind yourself about your body goals. Not want to go to work? Remember the growth opportunities and the pay you need. There are always reasons to do an important job. Don’t want to study?

Think about the exams coming up and the role of education in your life. Studying and gaining a good education will always help you, no matter what your career path is. An educated man is always respected in society. But that’s a long point of view.

Looking in the short term, you need to study to get good marks, to compete with other students, to make your parents proud, and to improve your mental strength. The more you study, the more your brain develops. Studying is also a way for students to show their mettle in academics.

Motivating yourself for study

But what if you still “don’t feel like it” after knowing the importance of studying? It happens with the best of us. Even the professionals who have spent their life on building discipline and strong work ethics have the days when there is just not enough motivation.

You will need to replenish your low motivation levels to start. Innovative study methods and keeping things interesting is the way to keep going.

Watch some motivation videos before you start studying. Do not get diverted to other recommended videos. Use the motivation received from the video to start with high energy. Get in the flow of studying. Once you enter the focused study mode, your study sessions will get longer.

Starting your study session is tough. But keeping the motivation throughout is not easy either. Change the subjects in between to prevent getting bored.

Take short breaks in between your study session to refresh the brain. Eat snacks and relax during the break. Do not immerse yourself in video games or television. Otherwise, it will elongate your break from minutes to hours. Let your mind rest. Praise yourself for the discipline you just showed. It will tempt you to show the discipline again.

Sometimes the reason for not feeling like studying is the perceived difficulty. If the subject is too difficult, students try to avoid studying. Get friends to study with you in such cases.

Group study work well for some students. You might want to give it a try and get the help of your friends in understanding tough topics. Just ensure that all the friends participating are in a mood to study as well. Or else your study session will turn into fun get together.

Develop a study system

Motivation is generally very short term. It fades away in time if it does not have a solid vision associated with it. You will not get the same adrenaline rush every day after watching a motivational video.

The video method is ineffective. Just like every other external motivation source. The key is to develop a system or routine that runs with a sense of responsibility and dedication.

The routine feeds on your objectives, visions, and daily habits. Once you develop a routine, you will not rely on the dose of daily motivation. Involve these habits in your routine.

Go on walks or do some physical activities

Walking is an ecstatic experience when you are tense about deadlines, assignments, and chapter completions. Walking relaxes your brain and gets the creative juices flowing. You can also do other physical activities like hitting the gym and playing sports.

We are emphasizing walks because it is an equipment-free activity. It is a mild physical movement with minimal fatigue. It allows your brain to rest and think for a while. After physical activity, your focus and concentration increase for a long period.

Focus on one work at a time

This is an important habit to inculcate in your lifestyle. As a student, you will have several works to handle in a day. Patiently write them down individually early morning. Basically, prepare a to-do list of things to study. Break your study syllabus into tasks. During the day, pick one task at a time. Decide which task you will do at this moment. You will be focusing all your commitment to this work.

Clean up and prepare

Studying in a messed up area is a big no-no. You will feel clumsy in such surroundings. Before you start studying clear space and remove any distraction. Keep only the things necessary to finish the task. When you are cleaning up the room for studying, you will feel a sense of commitment and responsibility towards the upcoming study session. You will naturally put higher efforts to gain more from the study session. Cleaning your study space is an important routine habit to adopt.

Just start

Once you have cleaned up your study area and sat on the study point with your supplies, do not hesitate about starting. Just get going with your assignment or your chapter. Start raw and unorganized. You need to remove any mental resistance or doubt.

So, do not think and wait for some amazing idea to start. You will most probably get demotivated even before studying. Starting imperfect is better than a blank page.

Developing a routine with habits like these will make you a more responsible and managed student.

Source: https://scholarship-positions.com/how-to-make-yourself-study-if-you-dont-want-to-study/2019/04/08/

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