Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, positive judgment and well-developed wisdom. Education has as one of its fundamental aspects the imparting of culture from generation to generation (see socialization). Education means 'to draw out', facilitating realisation of self-potential and latent talents of an individual. It is an application of pedagogy, a body of theoretical and applied research relating to teaching and learning and draws on many disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, sociology and anthropology.[1]
The education of an individual human begins at birth and continues throughout life. (Some believe that education begins even before birth, as evidenced by some parents' playing music or reading to the baby in the womb in the hope it will influence the child's development.) For some, the struggles and triumphs of daily life provide far more instruction than does formal schooling (thus Mark Twain's admonition to "never let school interfere with your education"). Family members may have a profound educational effect—often more profound than they realize—though family teaching may function very informally.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
USA health care system
In the United States, certain publicly funded health care programs help to provide for the elderly, disabled, military service families and veterans, children, and the poor,[30] and federal law ensures public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay;[31] however, a system of universal health care has not been implemented. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is attempting to implement a near-universal health care system by mandating that residents purchase health insurance by July 1, 2007.[32] California, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Vermont also are attempting universal systems at the state level, with some smaller locations such as San Francisco also attempting this at the citywide level.[33] Some government health care systems allow private practitioners to provide services, and some do not.
Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich is the only U.S. Presidential Candidate advocating universal health care over health insurance.[34] On the federal level he also introduced Conyers-Kucinich United States National Health Insurance Act H.R. 676, which is backed by over 14,000 doctors. [35] The goal is that these would be publicly financed and privately delivered
Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich is the only U.S. Presidential Candidate advocating universal health care over health insurance.[34] On the federal level he also introduced Conyers-Kucinich United States National Health Insurance Act H.R. 676, which is backed by over 14,000 doctors. [35] The goal is that these would be publicly financed and privately delivered
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport contested by two teams, usually of eleven players each.[1] A cricket match is played on a grass field, roughly oval in shape, in the centre of which is a flat strip of ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long, called a cricket pitch. A wicket, usually made of wood, is placed at each end of the pitch.
The bowler, a player from the fielding team, bowls a hard, fist-sized cricket ball from the vicinity of one wicket towards the other. The ball usually bounces once before reaching the batsman, a player from the opposing team. In defence of the wicket, the batsman plays the ball with a wooden cricket bat. Meanwhile, the other members of the bowler's team stand in various positions around the field as fielders, players who retrieve the ball in an effort to stop the batsman scoring runs, and if possible to get him or her out. The batsman — if he or she does not get out — may run between the wickets, exchanging ends with a second batsman (the "non-striker"), who has been waiting near the bowler's wicket. Each completed exchange of ends scores one run. Runs are also scored if the batsman hits the ball to the boundary of the playing area. The match is won by the team that scores more runs.
The bowler, a player from the fielding team, bowls a hard, fist-sized cricket ball from the vicinity of one wicket towards the other. The ball usually bounces once before reaching the batsman, a player from the opposing team. In defence of the wicket, the batsman plays the ball with a wooden cricket bat. Meanwhile, the other members of the bowler's team stand in various positions around the field as fielders, players who retrieve the ball in an effort to stop the batsman scoring runs, and if possible to get him or her out. The batsman — if he or she does not get out — may run between the wickets, exchanging ends with a second batsman (the "non-striker"), who has been waiting near the bowler's wicket. Each completed exchange of ends scores one run. Runs are also scored if the batsman hits the ball to the boundary of the playing area. The match is won by the team that scores more runs.
Air Tickets
An airline ticket generally is a document created by an airline or a travel agent to confirm that an individual has purchased a seat on an airplane. This document is then used to obtain a boarding pass at the airport. Then with the boarding pass and the attached ticket, the passenger is allowed to board the aircraft.
A paper ticket is generally only good on the airline for which it was purchased. However, an airline can endorse the ticket so that it may be accepted by other airlines, sometimes on standby basis or with a confirmed seat.
Usually the paper ticket is for a specific flight. It is also possible to purchase an 'open' ticket which allows travel on any flight between the destinations listed on the ticket. The cost for doing this is greater than a ticket for a specific flight.
Some tickets are refundable. However the lower cost tickets are usually not refundable and may carry many additional restrictions.
It is now common for a traveler to pay a surcharge for a paper ticket. Many airlines no longer issue paper tickets.
A ticket is made up of one or more flight coupons. These flight coupons are the actual tickets that are used for travel. One flight coupon is used for each leg of the flight.
A paper ticket is generally only good on the airline for which it was purchased. However, an airline can endorse the ticket so that it may be accepted by other airlines, sometimes on standby basis or with a confirmed seat.
Usually the paper ticket is for a specific flight. It is also possible to purchase an 'open' ticket which allows travel on any flight between the destinations listed on the ticket. The cost for doing this is greater than a ticket for a specific flight.
Some tickets are refundable. However the lower cost tickets are usually not refundable and may carry many additional restrictions.
It is now common for a traveler to pay a surcharge for a paper ticket. Many airlines no longer issue paper tickets.
A ticket is made up of one or more flight coupons. These flight coupons are the actual tickets that are used for travel. One flight coupon is used for each leg of the flight.
TV serials
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. Known as "chapter plays," they were extended motion pictures broken into a number of segments called "chapters" or "episodes." Each chapter (a typical serial usually had as many as 15 of them) would be screened at the same theater for one week. The serial would end with a cliffhanger, as the hero and heroine would find themselves in the latest perilous situation from which there could be no escape. The audience would have to return the next week (and pay admission) to find out how the hero and heroine would escape and battle the villain once again. Serials were especially popular with children, and for many youths in the first half of the 20th century, a typical Saturday at the movies included a chapter of at least one serial, along with animated cartoons, newsreels, and two feature films.
Most serials were Westerns, since those were the least expensive to film. Besides Westerns, though, there were films covering many genres, including crime fiction, espionage, comic book or comic strip characters, science fiction, and jungle adventures. Although most serials were filmed economically, some were made at significant expense. The Flash Gordon serial and its sequels, for instance, were major productions in their times.
Serials were a popular form of movie entertainment dating back to Edison's What Happened to Mary? of 1912. There do appear to be older serials, however, such as the 1910 Deutsche Vitaskop 5 episode Arsene Lupin Contra Sherlock Holmes, based upon the Maurice LeBlanc novel Arsene Lupin Contre Herlock Sholmes, and a possible but unconfirmed Raffles serial in 1911[1]. Usually filmed with low budgets, serials were action-packed stories that usually involved a hero (or heroes) battling an evil villain and rescuing a damsel in distress. The villain would continually place the hero into inescapable deathtraps and situations, or the heroine would be placed into a deathtrap and the hero would bravely come to her rescue, usually pulling her away from certain death only instants before she met her doom. The hero and heroine would face one trap after another, battling countless thugs and lackeys, before finally defeating the villain "once and for all" ... even though the villain would almost always get away at the end, to return at a future date.
Most serials were Westerns, since those were the least expensive to film. Besides Westerns, though, there were films covering many genres, including crime fiction, espionage, comic book or comic strip characters, science fiction, and jungle adventures. Although most serials were filmed economically, some were made at significant expense. The Flash Gordon serial and its sequels, for instance, were major productions in their times.
Serials were a popular form of movie entertainment dating back to Edison's What Happened to Mary? of 1912. There do appear to be older serials, however, such as the 1910 Deutsche Vitaskop 5 episode Arsene Lupin Contra Sherlock Holmes, based upon the Maurice LeBlanc novel Arsene Lupin Contre Herlock Sholmes, and a possible but unconfirmed Raffles serial in 1911[1]. Usually filmed with low budgets, serials were action-packed stories that usually involved a hero (or heroes) battling an evil villain and rescuing a damsel in distress. The villain would continually place the hero into inescapable deathtraps and situations, or the heroine would be placed into a deathtrap and the hero would bravely come to her rescue, usually pulling her away from certain death only instants before she met her doom. The hero and heroine would face one trap after another, battling countless thugs and lackeys, before finally defeating the villain "once and for all" ... even though the villain would almost always get away at the end, to return at a future date.
Ebook
Text can be searched automatically, and cross-referenced using hyperlinks. This makes e-books an excellent choice of format for works that benefit from search and cross-reference capabilities, such as dictionaries, reference works, and certain kinds of textbooks.
Less physical space is required to store e-books. Hundreds (or thousands) may be carried together on one device. Approximately 500 average e-books can be stored on one CD (equivalent to several shelves of print books). Because they take up little space, e-books can be offered indefinitely, with no 'out of print' date, allowing authors to continue to earn royalties indefinitely (copyright law permitting) and allowing readers to find older works by favorite authors.
Readers who have difficulty reading conventional books can benefit from the adjustment of text size and font face. Text-to-speech software can be used to automatically convert e-books to spoken books. In addition, e-books may be read in low light or even total darkness, with a back-lit device.
An ebook can be much more comfortable to hold because it does not need to be held open like a paperback. It can also be set down and read hands-free.
Since there is only one page, there are no problems with the text near the interior margin being obscured or shadowed by another page (as can happen with a paperback). This makes the book easier to see from a variety of angles. The lack of a flexible joint between a book's pages also allows the book to be positioned on its side.
It costs almost nothing to replicate an e-book. Copies can be made instantly and in as great a quantity as desired. This makes it easy to retain backups and difficult to eliminate works once they have been distributed. E-books can be published by independent publishing houses, which can lead to greater editorial and authorial freedom and more room for experimentation. From the publisher's point of view, the ease of distributing e-books means that they can be used to stimulate higher sales of printed copies of books.
With Internet access becoming ubiquitous in industrial nations, the ease of distributing e-books is a considerable advantage. E-books cost little to transfer, and such an operation occurs quickly. Readers can begin reading as soon as the download completes, or sooner, depending on the e-book formats' capabilities, without the need to visit a bookstore.
Errors in texts may be easily and quickly corrected, and may even be pushed to users to update their copies of works in-place, rather than requiring a separate errata.
Replicating e-books does not consume the paper, ink, and other resources that are used to produce normal books. E-books do not have to be replaced as a result wear and tear because there is little risk of damage, vandalism, or degradation to their pages.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Tourism in Paris
Paris (pronounced /paˈʁi/ in French; /ˈpæɹɪs/ in English) is the capital city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region ("Région parisienne"). Paris has an estimated population of 2,153,600 within its administrative limits.[2] The Paris unité urbaine (or urban area) is an area of unbroken urban growth that extends well beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of 9.93 million.[3] Paris' commuter belt area, or couronne périurbaine, when joined with Paris and its unité urbaine, completes the Paris aire urbaine (or metropolitan area) that, with its population of 12 million [4], is one of the most heavily populated areas in Europe.[5]
An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.[6] The Paris Region (Île-de-France) is France's foremost centre of economic activity. With €500.8 billion (US$628.9 billion), it produced more than a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France in 2006.[7] The Paris Region hosts 36 of the Fortune Global 500 companies[8] in several business districts, notably La Défense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe.[9] Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the ICC and the informal Paris Club.
Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with over 30 million foreign visitors per year.[10] There are numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions, along with world famous institutions and popular parks
An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.[6] The Paris Region (Île-de-France) is France's foremost centre of economic activity. With €500.8 billion (US$628.9 billion), it produced more than a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France in 2006.[7] The Paris Region hosts 36 of the Fortune Global 500 companies[8] in several business districts, notably La Défense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe.[9] Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the ICC and the informal Paris Club.
Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with over 30 million foreign visitors per year.[10] There are numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions, along with world famous institutions and popular parks
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