Friday, May 29, 2009

What students should do during summer vacation



What students should do during summer vacation - an Excerpt

Summer vacation is upon us. For many children, that means sleeping in, spending time with friends, going to the mountains, or sitting by the pool. Adults, of course, either go to work and complain about the heat, or chase after children who have been temporarily freed from their academic routine.

For students in junior high school or high school (starting around 8th or 9th grade), college, graduate school, and professional school, summer falls somewhere in between the carefree days of childhood and the regimented days of adulthood. Summers are theirs to use as they please. They, too, can sit by the pool and bask in the sun. But the impending deadlines for college, graduate school, professional school, and job applications cast a long cold shadow over hot summer days.

Academic calendars vary around the world. Summer vacations can range from a few short weeks to a few months depending on the country and level of education. In the United States, summer vacation for most schools is June through August. This is true for KAIST as well.

In the United States, summer activities can vary wildly. A few students will do nothing at all. Some will travel. Some will take hourly jobs to earn money for the coming year.

But many American students use those summers as an opportunity to explore potential careers, expand their horizons, gain work experience, and otherwise enhance their resumes to maximize their chances for admission to the school or job of their choice. Such activities can include taking classes; gaining teaching, research, industry or entrepreneurial experience; volunteering; or participating in other leadership or service activities.

These students are keenly aware of the looming deadlines and the competition that they will face to achieve their goals. They leverage family connections, seize or create opportunities, and work hard to ensure that their summer activities give them every possible advantage in their professional careers.

In Korea, many of the students I talk to say that they don't know what they will do for the summer. Others say that they will take classes, travel to another part of the world, or take a rest.

I have to admit that I was surprised. Our students are extremely bright and hard working. I expected them to rattle off a litany of internships, research appointments, international volunteer work, exchange programs, and a whole host of other resume-building activities. While our students are reading books and enjoying their vacation, students in the United States are doing the academic equivalent of "beating them up and stealing their lunch money" (graduate school admissions, coveted consulting internships, etc.).

For highly motivated students seeking a role on the international stage, taking a rest for the entire summer simply isn't an option.

Students can, of course, take classes over the summer to improve their educational background. But this is more appropriate for younger students in junior high or high school who are not yet prepared for a full-time job. Summers are a great time to do intensive foreign language training and to take courses that their schools may not offer (like music theory, genetics, philosophy, world geopolitics, and more). It is also a good time to learn new tools and skills that schools may expect students to know but will not teach like computer-aided drafting.

Summers are typically not a good time to take courses in the fundamentals (calculus, physics, organic chemistry, etc.) Summer sessions tend to be shorter and may leave gaps in students' knowledge. They will pay the price for those gaps later. Taking a summer course in preparation for re-taking the course during the semester for a better grade is a tremendous waste of time and resources. In most U.S. admissions selection criteria, the potential incremental improvement in GPA has little value in comparison to real-world experience in your field. Summers should be used to expand students' horizons, not to look at the same horizon again and again.

Once students enter college, the benefit of taking summer classes rapidly falls away. Graduating with 44 classes instead of 40 on a transcript pales in comparison to having four years of internships and the references, papers, patents, and other tangible benefits that result from professional experience. Unless the classes are extraordinary, summers are better used for other things.

Business schools often say that they wish to create "T-shaped" graduates who have both breadth and depth of knowledge, skills, and experience. Although the term has become a cliche, summer experiences should reflect breadth and depth (beyond classes), as well as motivation and determination.

There is no harm in taking a week at the beginning or the end of the summer to rest and relax. Your career is more like a marathon than a sprint. But it will not be a walk on the beach. And your summer vacation shouldn't be either.

Mary Kathryn Thompson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.


2009.05.29

Quarantined in Korea ( About H1N1)- An Excerpt



Quarantined in Korea - An Excerpt

A group of teachers quarantined in southern Seoul say that the overall mood in the group is good, but raised concern that conditions there may actually be putting their health more at risk. "Generally spirits are high here, we're out in the sun getting a tan. 'Outbreak' is playing on the TV, which is pretty surreal," said D, an English teacher from the United States. The teachers requested anonymity due to their employment situation.

The teachers have been taken to the facility after staying in the same conference as a person who later developed the H1N1 form of influenza A. However, some of them had not even been in the center at the same time as the first patient.

They are being kept in the same conference center, and quarantine will continue for seven days after the last reported infection. Since new infections are reported every day, the quarantine looks likely to continue for some time.

Meanwhile the detainees are passing the time by exercising on the balcony, watching films and DVDs and reading. Several have maintained blogs about their experiences.

"There are conference rooms on the ground floor that had projectors, so at first we hooked up our laptops and had movie nights," D said. "But they closed off the first floor and we had to stop."

That might not sound much like quarantine, and that might be the problem.

While the level of segregation has effectively separated the group from the outside world, not much has been done to prevent transmission within it.

While authorities have repeatedly asked detainees to stay in their rooms, little has been done to enforce it. People in the center say they are able to move within the complex, and that some things that would have helped encourage segregation have not been done.

The detainees have no access to outgoing phone lines, although internal phones are in each room. The internet has been off from their rooms and the only online access is from communal areas, meaning that those without cell phones would have to use communal areas to communicate with their families. People quarantined say authorities have not allowed them the chance to contact their families or embassies in any other way.

Air conditioning was kept off until Wednesday, leading many to cool off on the communal balcony.

Detainees have been told not to smoke, but complaints have been made that those smoking in their rooms have been reprimanded, while smokers in communal areas had not. One detainee said they had been promised nicotine patches but not given any.

Others say that the authorities have been lax on basic hygiene.

"When there have been confirmed patients, some people have been moved into their beds but the sheets haven't been changed," said D.

Another detainee, G, said that cleanliness had not been well-maintained.

"They are not removing the trash. They decided that it needed special treatment because of the infection risk, but since then they haven't done anything," she said Tuesday morning.

"Water was coming out of the garbage all over the floor. The bathrooms haven't been cleaned since we got there.

"We're running out of paper towels, running out of soap and we're running out of toilet paper."

Cleaning and restocking was eventually done at around 4 o'clock that afternoon.

"We had a guy posting adverts on all the doors make it to the third floor before some people playing Mahjong told him he shouldn't be there," said D. "It's like a Benny Hill sitcom at times."

Health officials say they have been kept together for their own convenience, and the consensus is that the facilities are not generally unpleasant.

"My current situation is rather comfortable. Since I have symptoms, I have my own room. It's a large comfortable space, except that the air conditioners don't work. So it can be a bit warm in here, even with windows open." said B, another teacher in quarantine. "The staff here has been very nice and very professional, especially considering their unfamiliarity with this kind of situation."

But others say communication has been an issue. Some people were told that they would be going for tests, only to be taken to quarantine with nothing but the clothes on their back. No tests were done.

"I was told I was just going to have a test. Then the doctor told me I had to go to a testing center, and then I was brought here," G explained.

"I had a friend bring and drop off a suitcase as soon as I got here," she said.

She expressed frustration at the lack of communication early on. "The information changes constantly, and I think what makes us most upset is that they told us not to contact our embassies and that they did not contact them."

Those in charge of the facility deny telling them this.

However, the teachers say that things are slowly improving. Communication has improved between the authorities and detainees. DVDs, books and teacher training materials have been provided. Cleaning has been done regularly since Tuesday.

A group of expats have made visits to the center, although they did not enter the quarantine area. They brought books, food and other supplies.

"It's wonderful to have that support from the Korean expat community and I think that a lot of people are looking for that recognition," said D.

Among those visiting was Benjamin Wagner, an American lawyer who teaches International law at Kyung Hee University Law School. He said the teachers appeared to be treated well and that xenophobia did not seem to be a big factor in the quarantine.

"I went there for specifically that reason and ... there didn't seem to be any bias in the quarantine," said Wagner, who spoke to six of the teachers. "It's true that some Koreans got to go home, but some foreigners got to go home as well."

"Unfortunately, there does appear to have been some negligent medical treatment in the quarantine process, which may have led to some people contracting the disease who wouldn't have otherwise. Korea is playing a catch-up game with quarantine expertise, but it needs to make sure that proper WHO procedures are being followed."

Sixty-five people were originally quarantined, although many have been removed after developing suspected symptoms of swine flu. But questions remain about how those 65 people were chosen. Those detained had only been given basic airport-type tests, and held regardless of the outcome.

All foreign teachers that attended the group have been quarantined. Health officials say some Koreans who were at the conference have been quarantined at home.

Health officials say the teachers were detained because they had stayed together in the conference center. This seems to be an attempt to follow the WHO guidelines about households who experience infections - essentially treating the whole group as one household.

Some say that that was an unnecessarily broad method of selection. Others would have preferred to be quarantined at home.

At issue is a separate group who did not attend the conference, but were brought on Saturday to the same facility for a conference the following week.

One teacher The Korea Herald spoke to said he had not met the other teachers before being quarantined.

Some feel that they have been put at additional risk by the quarantine.

"Initially, people were handing out together and socializing, although those with symptoms were kept in their own rooms, even from the start. However, people did intermingle, playing cards, talking, etc.," said B, who was confirmed as having swine flu on Tuesday.

"I arrived symptom free, but quickly developed symptoms by the end of the first day. The short incubation time - 1-5 days - with this particular virus makes it likely many of those who got sick, caught the virus after arriving here, but that's just speculation on my part."

"There was a lot of misinformation and one thing I felt is that if I was not at risk of swine flu I definitely was after we were taken back to the center," said G.

"It just implies that our health was not that important."

According to the Health Ministry, 22 of Korea's 32 cases of H1N1 were in foreign teachers as of yesterday afternoon. The sharp emphasis on this aspect has upset some in the wider community of foreign English teachers. Some have been asked to take tests despite not having left the country in the last six months.

But B warns that limiting such inquiries to foreign teachers may miss important cases.

"This isn't a foreigner disease. I was exposed to sick Koreans. This is a traveler disease. Any person who travels or is around those who do ought to be cautious."

By Paul Kerry ( 2009.05.29)

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New flu "unstoppable", WHO says, calls for vaccine
Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:48pm EDT


By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saying the new H1N1 virus is "unstoppable", the World Health Organization gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic influenza strain on Monday and said healthcare workers should be the first to get one.

Every country will need to vaccinate citizens against the swine flu virus and must choose who else would get priority after nurses, doctors and technicians, said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research.

Several reports showed the new virus attacks people differently than seasonal flu -- affecting younger people, the severely obese and seemingly healthy adults, and causing disease deep in the lungs.

Kieny briefed reporters on the findings of the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, or SAGE. "The committee recognized that the H1N1 pandemic ... is unstoppable and therefore that all countries need access to vaccine," Kieney said.

"The SAGE recognized first that healthcare workers should be immunized in all countries in order to retain a functional health system as the virus evolves," she added.

After that, each country should decide who is next in line, based on the virus's unusual behavior.

Seasonal influenza is deadly enough -- each year it is involved in 250,000 to 500,000 deaths globally. But most are the elderly or those with some kind of chronic disease that makes them more vulnerable to flu, such as asthma.

ELDERLY ADVANTAGE

The elderly seem to have some extra immunity to this new H1N1, which is a mixture of two swine viruses, one of which also contains genetic material from birds and humans. It is a very distant cousin of the H1N1 virus that caused the 1918 pandemic that killed 50 million to 100 million people.

A study published in the journal Nature on Monday confirmed that the blood of people born before 1920 carries antibodies to the 1918 strain, suggesting their immune systems remember a childhood infection.

The work by Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka also supports other studies that this new H1N1 strain does not stay in the nose and throat, as do most seasonal viruses.

"The H1N1 virus replicates significantly better in the lungs," Kawaoka said. Other studies have also shown it can cause gastrointestinal effects, and that it targets people not usually thought of as being at high risk.

"Obesity has been observed to be one of the risk factors for more severe reaction to H1N1" -- something never before seen, Kieny added. It is not clear if obese people may have undiagnosed health problems that make them susceptible, or if obesity in and of itself is a risk.

On Friday, a team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Michigan reported that nine out of 10 patients treated in an intensive care unit there were obese. They also had unusual symptoms such as blood clots in the lungs and multiple organ failure.

None have recovered and three died.

The CDC estimates at least a million people are infected in the United States alone and clinics everywhere are advised not to test each and every patient, so keeping an accurate count of cases will be impossible. The United States has documented 211 deaths and WHO counted 429 early last week.

Kieny said WHO would also work to get better viruses for companies from which to make vaccines. She said the strains that had been distributed did not grow very well in chicken eggs -- used to make all flu vaccines.

One exception -- AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit makes a live virus vaccine that is squirted up the nose and it is easier to produce, Kieny said.

WHO said countries should continue with their normal vaccination programs against seasonal flu. Kieny said the seasonal H3N2 strain was also very active now in the southern hemisphere's winter.

Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis, Baxter, Schering-Plough's Nobilon, GlaxoSmithKline, Solvay, CSL and AstraZeneca's MedImmune are among those working on flu vaccines.

(Editing by Philip Barbara)

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Malaysian Burger’s The Topic


Photo : Oxymanus

Malaysian Burger’s The Topic
Iceman, ramli burgers are an authentic and original expression of street food in Malaysia. While I personally think that there was a time when those stall owners put much more care and effort into their mise en place and the resulting fare, I feel the same way about most hawker fare these days. Debating the quality of the ingredients used in a ramli pattie is as pointless as debating the quality of ingredients found in a can of China's Ma Ling luncheon meat. It is what it is and you either you like it or you dont. If someone expresses a preference for this particularly local brand of roadkil-..er...uhm- street food, I cant imagine any local chef or cook taking offence over such a non-issue.

As far as I know, Otai stalls use Ramli burger patties so its more a matter of cooking technique. Which particular ramli stall do you go to for your ramli burger fix?

An Excerpt - FriedChillies.com

How to Spend Like a Frugal Millionaire - An Excerpt



How to Spend Like a Frugal Millionaire

by : Kimberly Palmer,Wednesday May 27, 2009, 10:04 am EDT

Today's guest post comes from Jeff Lehman, author of The Frugal Millionaires.

Saving thousands while still spending.

Millionaires make up just 2 percent of the American (US)population. They get a bad rap during recessions for being wasteful with their money and are frequently used as examples of excess. It's the millionaires that you don't see that you can learn from in times like these. I call them the frugal millionaires and interviewed 70 of them to uncover ways we can all be smarter with money.

Nearly 70 percent of the economy is based on consumer spending. To keep the economy going we need to keep spending but not waste money in the process. This is where the frugal millionaires come in. They've been smart with their money all along and haven't lost it all and had to remake it. These are the kind of people you want to learn from when it comes to spending your money.

Spending philosophy.

Frugal millionaires are unique thinkers when it comes to spending money: 1) they can easily delay their need for gratification when purchasing; 2) they are resourceful in getting what they want by carefully timing their consumer purchases; 3) they make living below their means painless; 4) they don't like wasting anything (especially money); 5) their sense of "self-entitlement" is highly minimized: and 6) spending is OK with them...depending on what they are buying (think: appreciating vs. depreciating assets).


Buying tips.

These millionaires keep more money than they spend, that's why they are rich. Their tactics work for them so they'll work even better for you. Key Point: They don't view shopping as a sport. They shop efficiently and spend their time doing more important things with their lives. Here are their tips that will help you save while spending:

Cars: Buy used (or off lease) fuel-efficient cars, often with "certified pre-owned" warranties. This warranty can be better than a new car, plus the initial depreciation hit is avoided. Drive the car for a long time and never lease it.

Eating Out: Bring half of a meal home to eat later (this also saves the waistline). Eat at happy hours. Bring wine from home and skip dessert. Value food quality over expensive ambience.

Eating In: Eat better and less expensively by cooking at home. Make it a friends and family event. Get your kids involved. Bonus: You can have that extra drink without worrying about getting busted for driving under the influence. Also: buy day-old bread at the best bakery in town and freeze it. Eat oatmeal, because it's the most cost-effective breakfast food. Get a supermarket "club card" and buy food on special. Play the game of trying to see how much of a discount can be saved off the total food bill.

Clothes: When you buy something new donate something used to charity. Buy traditional clothes, but wait for the off-season to acquire them. Go for high quality - not high price. Buy vintage clothing and avoid logo clothing and keep people guessing who the designer might be. Hint: There shouldn't be one!


Consumer Electronics: Buy low-end gear that has the basic functionality of the more expensive stuff. Don't be the first to buy new technology. Wait at least one lifecycle so the bugs are worked out. Buy refurbished electronics whenever possible.

Computers: Buy more mainstream computers with proven technology. Select higher capacity hard drives, a decent amount of RAM (the memory that the program runs in) and a cost effective processor. Super fast doesn't always equal super good...unless you are building airplanes or bridges. Laptops are a good compromise between desktops and netbooks. Don't go through the pain of upgrading operating systems on existing computers, it's not time efficient and you will probably go insane trying.

Going green: Being green and frugal go hand-in-hand. Yet frugal millionaires don't readily fall for the trendy green hype machine. They typically buy green if it helps the environment and lowers their costs. They look at the timeframe when a product can pay for itself. They do use compact fluorescent lighting, turn off lights and equipment that isn't being used, monitor AC and heat usage (with programmable thermostats), drive efficiently, live in "right-sized" homes and turn off the water when they aren't brushing their teeth or washing dishes. Because they have trained themselves to not waste money they won't waste anything else either. They get into good habits and keep them going. You can, too.

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10 Secrets of Millionaires' Money Management
Start early, create a vision, and live frugally
By Kimberly Palmer - Posted April 14, 2009

It turns out millionaires are just like us—but they have a lot more money. When asked about their secrets to success, they don't cite anything magical or rare, but rather the steady application of wise investing strategies, hard work, and, believe it or not, a degree of frugality. Here are 10 secrets of millionaires' money management:

Start early to avoid financial pitfalls.
Adrian Cartwood, 49, author of the blog How to Make 7 Million in 7 Years, made his fortune by living frugally while he built his technology-related business. People often get into trouble, he says, by racking up personal debt early on, which acts as a big drag on their earnings. "Learn how to live within your means and how to delay gratification; these are the habits that you need to maintain on the way up, so you can keep your millions when you get there," he says.

Believe that you can do it
.
Before investing in real estate and becoming a millionaire, Alan Corey, author of A Million Bucks by 30, read as many biographies and autobiographies of millionaires as he could find. He says he was searching for a common characteristic that could help him in his own quest. "What I found was they all had an incredible self-belief that they would be financially successful," he says. Corey says that embracing that level of self-confidence helped him get to the top.

Articulate your vision for success.
Jen Smith, author of the Millionaire Mommy Next Door blog, says that the saying, "I want to be rich," is too vague. Instead, she recommends imagining what your ideal life as a millionaire will look like. Smith offers this example: “I want to have $2,000,000 invested so that I can live off of the interest. Then I will quit my job so that I can volunteer, travel, learn to play tennis and watercolor, and enjoy picnics at the beach with my family.”

Smith's vision involved becoming financially-free before becoming a parent. She cut out images from magazines of beautiful places she wanted to visit and people doing fun things and put them near her desk to help her keep that vision in mind.
Insure against life's risks. Bankruptcy is often caused by divorce, a death in the family, or a disability that renders someone unable to work. Conversely, protecting against those risks through insurance protects wealth. In The Quiet Millionaire, financial planner Brett Wilder writes that many people either fail to get adequate insurance or pay too much for it because they don’t understand it.

Work hard—and you'll get lucky.
In his new book, Think Like a Champion, Donald Trump attributes his success to his hard work, which to outsiders often appears to be luck. But Trump says luck only comes from working hard. "If your work pays off, which it most likely will, people might say you're just lucky. Maybe so, because you're lucky enough to have the brains to work hard!" he says. That same concept, of course, was advocated by Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century. He said, "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

Practice smart budgeting.
Smith recommends tracking how much you spend each month, something she does religiously. Every month, she downloads her transactions into a spreadsheet to keep her spending on track. Smith also says that, as prosaic as it sounds, maintaining a good credit score is essential to becoming and staying a millionaire. "A good credit score can save you thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime," she says.

Do what you love.
Sure, a career in finance might come with a hefty annual salary, but you probably won't excel at something you don't enjoy. That's why Corey recommends going into the field that you find yourself reading about in your spare time. He asks, "Do you read fashion magazines? Get a job in fashion. Do you read gossip blogs? Get a job in celebrity-based enterprises. Do you read Car & Driver? ESPN.com? Yahoo Pets Forum?" Even if the field doesn't seem lucrative, there are ways to make it to the top—something that's more likely to happen if you love it.

Decide how much money you really want.
For many people, $1 million won't be enough. "For most Gen-X and Gen-Yers, retiring with a couple million when they are 65 won't be anywhere near enough to maintain even an average lifestyle, because that little pup called inflation is constantly nipping at your heels as you try to run towards building your own retirement nest-egg," says Cartwood. A more reasonable goal might be $3 million— an amount that Cartwood considers the minimum to be a "bare bones millionaire" these days. Consider your ideal lifestyle and what you would like to be able to fund. A mortgage of a certain size? Exotic vacations? College tuition for your children? Having a concrete goal in mind makes it easier to get there, says Cartwood.

Invest against the grain.
Corey recommends making investment decisions based on the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing. Right now, for example, stocks are relatively cheap because so many people have sold off shares, which means anyone buying can get them at a discount to their values from a year ago. Corey's rule of thumb doesn't just apply to stocks. "Buy a foreclosed house, fill it up with roommates, and you can get a pretty good passive income," he suggests.

Live below your means.
Even Eminem, a celebrity and millionaire, scales back his purchases out of concern for frugality. In February, London's Independent newspaper reported that as Eminem considered buying a $15,000 watch he liked, he started worrying that he should save his money instead. Eminem reportedly said, "I don't want to run out of money; I want my daughter to be able to go to college." And so far, at least, Eminem hasn't fallen victim to the financial challenges so many other stars, from Aretha Franklin to Annie Leibovitz, have faced.

On the same note, Smith says that even though she's a millionaire, no one would know it—and that's the point. She recommends saving at least 10 to 25 percent of your income. She also suggests avoiding buying "status" items, such as fancy sports cars or mansions. After all, bling doesn't make a millionaire—and in fact, too much of it can prevent you from ever becoming one.

Private sector participation in delivery of education in Nigeria - an excerpt



Private sector participation in delivery of education in Nigeria
By Peter Okebukola
Published: Thursday, 28 May 2009
aN e

The story of education in Nigeria is the story of private sector stimulated delivery. In 1843, the first primary school opened its doors to children in Badagry. It was owned by Methodist missionaries. It was also Christian missionaries who flagged off secondary education with the establishment of C.M.S Grammar School in Lagos in 1859. Predating these events was the establishment of private Koranic schools in the north. By 1999, private participation in higher education took an upward swing.

The provision by the colonial government of public primary and secondary schools trailed the missionary efforts. By 1914, when the northern and southern protectorates were amalgamated, there were 59 government and 91 mission primary schools in the south; all 11 secondary schools, except for King‘s College in Lagos, were run by the missions. By the 1920s, the pressure for school places led to increased number of independent schools financed by local efforts. Since independence, there has been a flurry of desire to provide increased access to education through the establishment of schools. This paper proposes a framework for enhancing the efficiency of private participation in education in Nigeria in line with international best practices and in the march towards attaining Vision 20-2020.

Private individuals, communities, corporations, foundations, and religious bodies constitute the major private sector elements providing basic, post-basic and higher education in Nigeria. The increasing loss of confidence in public education has stimulated the growth of private schools. The belief is widely held that private primary and secondary education assures placement in choice higher education institutions and courses. Today, private schools enjoy a respectable market share of students in the education sector especially at the basic education level. The comparative percentage enrolment in public and private schools in Nigeria in 2008 for all levels of the educational system show that over 90 per cent of early childcare and development education (pre-primary) institutions are private. At the basic, post-basic and higher education levels, private shares are 8 per cent; 21 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.

The national figure reports show that about eight per cent of schools in the basic education sub-sector are private, about a fifth of basic education schools in Lagos State are privately owned. Also the fewer private polytechnics/monotechnics and colleges of education lowered the national private-sector ownership of tertiary institutions to 19%. It is noteworthy that a third of the universities in Nigeria today are private. Of the 95 universities, 34 are privately-owned.

Government take-over of mission schools in many states in the mid-1970s translated into gradual depreciation in quality. St. Malachy‘s College, Sapele, my alma mater, originally owned by the Catholic mission, stood tall in academic profile in the then Mid-West. Moral and discipline tones were exemplary. Decades after government took over, the school slumped into shameful decay. From 1999, finding the burden too heavy to bear, a number of state governments began handing back the schools to their original owners and encouraging the private sector to partner more vigorously in the delivery of quality education at all levels.

Over the years, private schools have emerged worthy competitors and collaborators with public schools. In league with public schools, private schools have provided a window of expanded access especially for those who can afford to pay for their services. Healthy competition has also been fostered.

The strengths of private schools are in five major areas. First (not in any order), they outclass their public counterparts in academic performance. In end-of-course examinations such as the Senior School Certificate Examination and national assessments such as the FGN/UNESCO/UNICEF Monitoring of Learning Achievement studies, private school students perform better than their public-school counterparts. Second is the stability of the academic calendar. Whereas public schools are caught in the web of teacher strikes and disruption to the school calendar, private school teachers can ill-afford strikes.

The third strength of private schools is the discipline tone, especially of staff. A consternation of characteristics arises from this high discipline tone. These include punctuality to work, regular attendance, and greater degree of productivity. Fourthly, pupil attendance is better in private schools. Of course, having paid the typically high tuition, parents will ensure that their children and wards are in school to justify the investment. Fifthly is the high degree of efficiency and accountability.

We turn next to the weaknesses of private schools. Many private basic and post-basic schools underpay their workers. In Lagos, a graduate teacher with five-years experience earns, on the average, about N18,000 per month. Regularity of payment of such meagre salary is also not assured. The public school counterpart earns about N25,000. This unattractive pay regime throws up another weakness of private schools- preponderance of unqualified teachers. A proprietor desirous of maximising profit engages poorly-qualified and inexperienced staff.

There is also the matter of examination malpractice. It is claimed that examination malpractice is more prevalent in private schools. This is in an attempt to woo parents by ensuring at all cost, that students do well in school and public examinations. Most private basic education schools in rural areas do not have enough students. At the higher education level, low-level patronage of many private universities has been decried. Irregular payment of fees by students makes it difficult for many private schools to function effectively. Staff salaries suffer delays and provision of facilities such as laboratories, workshops, library, hostels, recreation centres, playing field, auditorium and classrooms is compromised.

Nigeria is on the march towards being one of the world‘s 20 leading economies by 2020. In order to sharpen the teeth of the private sector in the delivery of quality education, the following are proposed for adoption from international best practices:

In all countries of the world where private-sector delivered education thrives successfully, minimum standards are set and monitored for compliance by national or regional (state-level) quality assurance agencies with mandate established by law. It is important to stress this legal provision since examples abound where private providers are quick to take to court, the authorities which clamp down on their unwholesome activities exploring the loophole that such authorities lack legal locus standi. Minimum standards should be set for facilities, human resources, curriculum and management. It has been canvassed by a large segment of the Nigerian society that an upper limit of tuition should be set for private institutions especially universities. This is contradictory to the spirit of a deregulated economy.

The kernel of the quality assurance process is monitoring and fearless application of sanctions to providers who offer service below minimum standards. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control-like and National Universities Commission-like approach of unannounced visits and closing down erring private institutions is strongly recommended. To be discouraged is the subsisting practice where Ministry of Education officials in states, as often claimed, after collecting ”brown envelopes,” look the other way on visiting a poor quality private school.

Within the ambit of quality assurance is accreditation. It is recommended that all private schools from basic to higher education should be processed through a scheme of institutional accreditation. This will certify the degree of fit of the entire institution with the quality desired for optimal performance. Institutional accreditation should be conducted once in 10 years for private schools at all levels of our education system.

A status of full accreditation means that the private school meets set minimum standards in facilities, human resources, curriculum, curriculum delivery and management.

This school is ”good to go” for the next ten years when it again, falls due for re-accreditation. If deficient in one of the areas, the institution earns ”interim institutional accreditation” and has two years to correct the deficiencies, failing which it regresses to the third accreditation status, which is denied accreditation.

An institution with denied accreditation should stop admitting students until it gets out of the relegation zone. If after five years, the deficiencies are not remedied, the school is closed down.

When applications are received from prospective providers, these should be worked through a rigorous approval process. On approval, these schools are listed in the register of approved schools. This register should be widely circulated and regularly updated. Summary closure should be applied to schools that are not in the register. It is gladdening that in all states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, there exists an application and approval scheme for private schools. What is deficient is the rigour of the approval process which should be strengthened. The model of the National Universities Commission for approval of new private universities which has been adopted in many African countries is strongly recommended.

A database of all staff and students in approved private schools in Nigeria is a worthy venture. It is common practice for private schools to run ”tutorials” and set up study centres, ostensibly for remedial training but in practice, to aid and abet cheating in examinations conducted especially by the West African Examination Council and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. This database will expose the fraud. The database, alongside the register, will be important documentation for the quality assurance agencies.

Government grant-in-aid: In the last 10 years, a strident clamour has been made for government supplementary funding through the Education Trust Fund for private providers. Grant-in-aid by government to private schools is not new. Indeed it was the vogue for over 120 years since western-type education was introduced in 1843. This call has merit as the overall goal is for quality products from public and private schools alike to drive the Nigerian economy. However, this argument flies in the face of another argument which fails to support the pegging of fees by government in private schools in a deregulated economy. The right road to travel on the matter is allowing governmental regulation of fee regime in private schools to be supplemented by grant-in-aid through ETF.

The burgeoning numbers of Nigerian youth will want education at all levels. Nigeria‘s literacy rate, currently about 68 per cent needs to be improved. We want to achieve Education for All goals and the Millennium Development Goals both demanding accelerated provision of educational opportunities. There is no way government at the local, state and federal level can provide, at no cost, all the education that people will need throughout life. The contributions of the private sector will continue to be needed. Policies that will ensure consumer protection and reduce asymmetry between what is paid as fees and what the learner derives from private schools need to be put in place in the years ahead. A call on the National Assembly to enact relevant laws on private participation in higher education will appear to be a good point to close this paper.

What to look out for when renting new accommodation



THE NIGERIAN FACTOR APPLIES IN MOST DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD

What to look out for when renting new accommodation
By Akinpelu Dada
Published: Thursday, 28 May 2009


When Mr. Francis Ilemobayo switched accommodation from Ikorodu to Isolo, he gave as reason the relative long distance between his home and his office in Ikeja and the associated stress of commuting daily to and from work with the notorious traffic problems on the ever busy Ikorodu road.
Rented House

According to him, the decision to leave Ikorodu was not easy at all because apart from the fact that the house belongs to him, his family had settled in the area and the difficulties of securing new accommodation in an unfamiliar environment weighed him down a bit.

He says, “It took a while for my wife to accept the decision for us to leave our own house and become tenants in another person’s house; but when I analysed the cost of staying in Ikorodu in terms of transportation and ill health as a result of stress, and compared it with that of the new abode, she reluctantly gave in.

“I must say, however, that apart from a few teething problems, the decision has turned out to be a wise one, because I spend less than 30 minutes to get home from work now instead of the average of one and half hours that I used to spend on the road to get to Ikorodu.”

People change accommodation for various reasons. They range from pressure from their landlords; changes in socio-economic status; need to move “nearer” activity points and disaster-induced switch among others.

However, when taking the decision to change accommodation, certain basic points should be considered.

There are many conmen parading themselves as estate agents and duping desperate accommodation seekers. Their activities thrive because of acute shortage in accommodation, especially in the urban centres, and the unregulated estate agency business, coupled with an apparent weakness of the law and the inability of the law enforcement agents to deal with the situation.

It must be pointed out, however, that there is a group that is recognised by law as estate agents, the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, but because of the academic rigours of becoming a member, the number of licensed estate surveyors and valuers is negligible compared with the number of informal agents who dot every street in urban centres.

So, for an individual aiming to secure new accommodation, caution is not a word that should be treated with levity. If the individual is unlucky to fall into wrong hands, he may lose his savings to unscrupulous agents who may disappear without any trace, or he could contend with some other potential tenants who have equally been duped to fight for the right to secure the accommodation.

Besides, the agents most times put pressure on landlords to fix unreasonably high rents in the expectation of getting a generous commission out of the total rent. But they don’t stop at this, they often charge the tenant extra commission in addition to agreement fees that make the total money spent by the tenant to be way over the top. For example, Ilemobayo had to pay well over N500,000 for his three bedroom apartment for two years.

If you are searching for accommodation in an area you are not very familiar with, the best thing to do is to find out a lot of information about the neighbourhood from friends and residents. You need to find out how safe the place is. Ask neighbours about previous tenants. If possible ask to look around the property while the present tenants are still there.

In this part of the world, where electricity supply is very erratic you may need to find out about the schedule of supply for the area. While some neighbourhoods in Lagos enjoy up to 18 hours of power supply daily, some don’t enjoy electricity for months, relying instead on generators!

Then, you need to find out about the personality of your potential landlord. Is he the troublesome type that nothing pleases or is the “I don’t care” type? Will he reside in the same building with you or does he stay apart? What are the responsibilities of the landlord on the property and what are the limits of what the tenant can do?

Can you afford the house? This is an important question because there is no point taking up an accommodation that your income cannot support. Remember, it is not just the rent that you have to pay, there are utility bills and others like electricity or water supply.

Take an inventory of all the items in the house before you move in and remember to do this together with the landlord or his representative so that when you are vacating the apartment, both parties would be satisfied that no one is cheated.

At the end of your lease, assess the state of the property in detail with the landlord. Get him to tell you exactly what he is not happy with (if anything), and what he is going to charge you for, or take out of your deposit. Point out that he should expect reasonable wear and tear, especially if you have been there a while.

Rent prices vary greatly within neighbourhoods. Consider if you can live a little outside where you actually want to be for a fraction of the cost and greater apartment size.

It is important to identify your needs before committing your resources on a property. Does it satisfy your family needs? Is it located in a good neighbourhood and are the schools around it good enough for your children? What about ease of transportation to and from your work place? Is there ready water supply or do you have to provide your own water? What about sources of noise pollution in the neighbourhood – places of worship, market, musical record sellers among other?

7-year-old Indian boy performs surgery



7-year-old Indian boy performs surgery –Report

Published: Sunday, 13 Jul 2008

In 2007,a footage emerged, from a remote village in India. The video showed a young girl receiving surgery to separate her fingers, which were badly burned and fused together. Why did this operation make headlines around the world? The surgery was performed by a seven-year-old boy named Akrit Jaswal.

Now 13-year-old, Akrit has an IQ of 146 and is considered the smartest person his age in India – a country of more than a billion people. Before Akrit could even speak, his parents say they knew he was special.

‘He learned very fast,’ says Raksha, Akrit‘s mother.At an age when most children are learning their ABCs, Akrit was reading Shakespeare and assembling a library of medical textbooks.

Akrit developed a passion for science and anatomy at an early age. Doctors at local hospitals took notice and started allowing him to observe surgeries when he was six years old. Inspired by what he saw, Akrit read everything he could on the topic. When an impoverished family heard about his amazing abilities, they asked if he would operate on their daughter for free. Her surgery was a success.

After the surgery, Akrit was hailed as a medical genius in India. At age 11, Akrit was admitted to Punjab University. He‘s the youngest student ever to attend an Indian university. That same year, he was also invited to London‘s famed Imperial College to exchange ideas with scientists on the cutting edge of medical research.

Akrit says he has millions of medical ideas, but he‘s currently focused on developing a cure for cancer.

Growing up, Akrit says he used to see cancer patients lying on the side of the road because they couldn‘t afford treatment or hospitals had no space for them. Now, he wants to use his intellect to ease their suffering. ‘I‘ve been going to hospitals since the age of 6, so I have seen firsthand people suffering from pain,‘ he says. ‘I get very sad, and so that‘s the main motive of my passion about medicine, my passion about cancer.‘

Currently, Akrit is working toward a bachelor‘s degrees in zoology, botany and chemistry. Someday, he hopes to continue his studies at Harvard University.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Most expensive cities in Asia



Photo : Oxymanus

Most expensive cities in Asia
Asian ranking Global Ranking Cities
1 13 Tokyo
2 15 Yokohama
3 18 Seoul
4 20 Nagoya
5 29 Kobe
6 43 Busan
7 50 Ulsan
8 72 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
9 97 Hong Kong
10 103 Beijing
11 109 Taipei
12 110 Shanghai
13 114 Singapore
14 123 Kaohsiung
15 141 Guangzhou
16 146 Shenzhen
17 154 Shenyang
18 155 Qingdao
19 157 Tianjin
20 160 Dalian
21 165 Chongqing
22 169 Jakarta
23 172 Chengdu
24 175 Suzhou
25 176 Xi'an
26 179 Wuhan
27 180 Nanjing
28 181 Bangkok
29 183 Xiamen
30 184 Surabaya
31 187 Metro-Manila
32 190 Chiang Mai
33 192 Mumbai
34 196 New Delhi
35 203 Kuala Lumpur
36 206 Hanoi
37 207 Chennai
38 208 Vientiane
39 209 Johor Bahru
40 211 Hyderabad
41 212 George Town
42 215 Ho Chi Minh City
43 216 Kolkata
44 217 Pune
45 218 Bangalore
46 220 Colombo
47 225 Karachi
48 226 Tashkent
49 229 Islamabad
50 231 Ulaanbaatar

Korean cities praised for best public toilets



Korean cities praised for best public toilets

Seoul, 4 November 2008:


The Korean cities of Seongbuk and Jinju, have won an international competition to find the best public toilets – or as one newspaper put it “they have flushed away the opposition”. In Seongbuk, which is part of the Korean capital of Seoul, local government has investid significant sums of money into rehabilitating and upgrading government-operated facilities and those in public institutions. The number of public toilets has grown from 129 in 2003 to 201 in 2008, for a population of about 460 000.

The number of users had almost doubled from 1.3 million to 2.4 million. At the same time Seongbuk had introduced measures to ensure safety in its facilities and to make them more accessible to disabled people, the elderly, children and foreign visitors.

Similarly, the judges praised efforts by Jinju authorities to provide more facilities and to upgrade existing ones. The number of toilets in the city had more than tripled to a total of 336 between 1995 and today. Jinju has a population of about 340 000. A program of custodian training and regular inspections ensured that the facilities were well maintained and hygienic.

A recent survey showed that among users of Jinju’s public toilets, more than 80 percent reported satisfaction with the state of the facilities. The mayors of Seongbuk and Jinju will receive the awards at the World Toilet Summit & Expo 2008, held in Macau (China) this month. (Report by abs-cbnNEWS)

Kuala Lumpur

Photo : Oxymanus



History

1857
87 tin miners, mostly Chinese, came to the area where the rivers Klang and Gombak converge. (see photograph above)The miners were prospecting for tin and found here a rich source of the metal.It is said that around 70% of the settlers succumbed to the malaria plague in the first months, one of the common epidemics in those days.

1862
K.L was a growing village. The place was named Kuala Lumpur which in Malay means “muddy estuary” The village grew rapidly and like all new mining settlements around the world it was an era turbulent times. This first period was filled with conflicts and gang wars between local Chinese gangs and sometimes Malay gangs about mining rights and control of drinking water.The Chinese grew more influential with the control of several vice activities that include brothels,gambling booths and opium trade within the settlement.

1869
The legendary Chinese Yap Ah Loy , also known as Yap Tet Loy or Yap Mao Lan became Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur and succeeded in just a few years to establish law and order in the town and became a sort of Mayor of K.L. until his death in 1885.

1880
Kuala Lumpur became a modern town when the British representative Frank Swettenham developed the first city plan and rich miners built colonial houses within its hub. One of the reasons that the town could expand was that the price of tin raised dramatically and the boom times made many prosperous towkays out of these settlers whose descendants lasted even to this generation.

1887
Kuala Lumpur became the capital of the state of Selangor one year after the railway to the harbour city Klang was established.(The first railway network was opened at Port Weld in Perak state to the town of Ipoh - another "tin" boom town.

1896
The Federated Malay States(FMS)is formed by uniting the Sultans of four states under one umbrella and KL was chosen as the capital of FMS because of its central position. The city became a classic centre of British colonialism.

1946
Kuala Lumpur was the capital in the “Federation of Malaya”

1957
Malaysia achieved independence on August 31 after 151 years of British colonial rule, Kuala Lumpur was designated the capital of the independent Federation of Malaya.(or Perseketuan Tanah Melayu)

1963
Kuala Lumpur became the federal capital of Malaysia in 1963, that also incorporates the states of Sabah,Sarawak on the island of Borneo as well as Singapore in the southern tip of Peninsula.

1974
Kuala Lumpur formally detached from its mother state of Selangor and became an autonomy city (Wilayah Persekutuan or Federal Territory) with its own administration.
A Mayor was elected as part of this establishment to oversee the overall public services system within the territory.

1999
The federal administrative capital moved to Putrajaya on June 4.

2007
Kuala Lumpur celebrates its 50th year as the capital of Malaysia and Malaysia its 50th year of independence.


Kuala Lumpur is a sister city to Ankara (Turkey)Esfahan (Iran), Malacca(Malaysia), Los Angeles ( USA),Osaka(Japan),Beijing (China), Casablanca(Morocco),Dubai (UAE) Shiraz(Iran),Delhi(India),Auckland(New Zealand),New York (USA),Karachi(Pakistan),London(UK),Sydney(Australia), Los Mochis (Mexico),San Francisco ( USA)

Mayors’ term of office: three years, renewable
Election: appointed
Responsibilities: economy, environment, health, planning, roads, transport, waste, water & sewerage

Jamaica Glossary



Jamaica Glossary - An Excerpt

Published Mar 24, 2004


Do all your Jamaican friends laugh at you every time you open your mouth and try to speak Jamaican? Jamaicanize your vocabulary here. If you don't see a term, tell us and we'll put it up.


Ackee- The national fruit of Jamaica. Introduced in Jamaica from West Africa, it is the second main ingredient of Jamaica’s national dish combination, ackee and saltfish .

Aloe vera- Introduced in Jamaica from West Africa this medicinal plant is commonly known in Jamaica as "sinkle bible" (single bible).

Anansi- A mythical figure originated with Ghana's Asante tribe; Anancy is as a spider known for his trickery and ability to always get the better of those around him.

Arawaks - These Indians who originated in the Orinoco region of South America were the first know inhabitants of Jamaica.

bakra- term used to describe members of the ruling class or slave master

balm - a natural medicine system. Normally prescribed by a balmist the system involves the treatment of various aliments with various of herbs or bush as most Jamaicans call it.

Bammy- a pancake shaped, deep-fried cassava bread, which is aid to originate with the Arawaks Indians. Bammy is commonly served with fried fish.

bandulu– some kind of fraud or racket.

bankra - a big basket.

Bauxite- Ore from which aluminum is obtained. At one time Jamaica was the world's leading producers of bauxite.

Bissy– cola nut. It is sometimes dried and used as a medicine for various ailments

Braata– a little extra of anything. Very similar to the English term a Bakers Dozen (13)

Bulla- a small round brown, sugar and flour cookie

Big Bwoy – a humorous lead character of the Jamaican big bwoy (boy) stories

Callaloo – leafy green vegetable which edible steamed. Saltfish and callaloo

Cerace– a popular vine (bush) in Jamaica, is use to boil cerace tea, which is said to cure various aliments.

Chimmy– a chamber pot. Introduced in Jamaica by the British chamber pots are still prevalent in the country areas today.

Cho cho– Christophine, Chayote, Mirliton. A small edible pear shaped vegetable, light green or cream colored that is grows on a vine. Eaten Boiled.

dally– weaving from side to side on a bike.

dasheen– a yam-like root which eaten boiled.

dukunu– a sweet cornmeal dumpling which is boiled and wrapped in banana leaves.

dundus– an epithet used towards albinos.

duppy – a ghost , evil spirit.

dutchy – a heavy round bottomed Dutch pot.

escovitch– a Spanish and Portuguese method of marinating seafood, it is quite prevalent in Jamaican cuisine.

fassy– sores on the skin.

galliwasp– a species of lizard which many Jamaicans believe to be poisonous. However various scientist have suggested otherwise.

ganja – the Jamaican name for marijuana.

guava– a Caribbean fruit which is eaten raw or used in making jam/jelly.

guinep - Small green fruit found in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Gungo peas - green and brown peas which are a favorite in many Jamaican dishes. Also known as pigeon or congo peas.

Higglers – Derived from the archaic verb "to higgle" meaning to haggle or to bargain, these are the vendors and marketers that form backbone of Jamaica's internal marketing system. Many of these higglers board planes for Miami and return with goods for sale.

Hosay– the most popular Indian festival celebrated by Jamaica’s East Indian Muslim Community.

Irie- Cool, good, nice.

Irish Moss - a health food drink made from a seaweed extract.

Jackass corn– biscuit made from coconut and sugar.

Ital– natural, unsalted, pure, no preservatives

Jackfruit– a fleshy yellowish fruit which grows inside the large pods extending from the trunk of the Jackfruit The Jack fruit seed eaten roasted or boiled.

Janga– cray fish

Jelly– the meat in a young coconut.

Jerk/jerking- A style for preparing pork which originated by the Maroons. Chicken and fish can also prepared in this manner.

Jew plum - greenish /yellow plum prickly seed. The plum can also be stewed and eaten as dessert.

John Crow - A scavenger bird that is common in Jamaica.

Jonkonnu- a celebratory pageant dating from the plantation era in which bands of colorful Jonkonnu troupes, dressed in costume with horse or cow heads or as kings, queens, or devils, parade through the streets in communities at Christmas time dancing to the beat of drums and other instruments like the banjo, fife, and kitchen grater.

Kerosene pan– a larger tin sheet pan which is used as outdoors cooking pot. A tin sheet pan which was previously used by a manufacture to store cooking oil and other products is emptied and cleaned.

Khus khus– the name of a type of grass used in making khus khus perfume and toilet water.

Kinpuppalick– a somersault

Kumina - A religious worship ritual with Bantu origins. The ritual involves dancing, chanting and spirit possession and prophesizing.

Labrish – gossip

Lignum vitae – This tree is sometimes referred to as the "tree of life" because of it’s many uses. The blue flower is the national flower of Jamaica.

Maca– prickle, thorns

Mahoe- national tree of Jamaica.

Maroons– members and offspring’s of the largest community of runaway slaves in Jamaica.

Mento– a folk music which is responsible for the offspring of calypso and reggae.

Obeah/Guzzu– a combination of black magic and religion, imported from Africa, which is practiced illegally in Jamaica.

Ortanique– a cross breed between a tangerine and an orange.

Otaheite– a pear shaped apple-crimson fruit.

Pantomime– a annual Jamaican folk theatrical event produced by the Little Theater Movement (LTM), which features dances, songs, costumes, amusing current affairs commentary.

Patty– a Jamaican baked food consisting of crusty pastry dough with spicy ground filling.

Pappy-show– something that look ridiculous.

Pimento- an allspice that combines the flavors of nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and pepper. Like Blue Mountain coffee the highest quality grown is Jamaica.

Rice and peas– a popular Jamaican dish made from rice cooked with peas (kidney or gungo peas), various seasoning, and coconut milk.

Roti– a very flat Indian pan bread usually eaten with curry goat or chicken.


Roots Drink– Drinks made of natural food.

Saltfish– cod fish

Samfi man– a trickster or con man.

Sinsemilla– a term used to describe the highest grade of Jamaican marijuana.

Sorrel– A bushy shrub that produces a red stems and chalices that is brewed by Jamaicans to make sorrel drink which is popular drink at Christmas time.

Stamp and go- codfish fritters

Star apple - the round fruit which is green or purple when ripe. When cut in the center a star-shaped pattern is revealed therefor the name "star apple".

Stinkin Toe - a brown color fruit that is said to smell like "cheesy toes". The real name is Hymenaea courbaril. See Picture.

Tamarind – a brown color, sour tasting fruit that is segmented in pods.

Tinkin Toe - See Stinkin Toe

Toto– one of the many types of Jamaican coconut cakes.

Ugli– a warty and irregular citrus fruit which is larger than an average grapefruit and indigenous to Jamaica.

Yampi - a species of yam that is indigenous to Jamaica.

Sources: My personal experience as a Jamaican, M. Daley and A. Gentiles. Books - "How to Speak Jamaican". Various documents from the The Institute of Jamaica and the Jamaican National Library.

Cashing in on your website



Cashing in on your website

By Wayne Marsh Sunday Finance contributor
Business – Excerpt from Jamaica Observer (Sunday, May 24, 2009)


I would hazard a guess that most Jamaican businesses have at least toyed with the idea of having a website but how many of those that have one have collected even a cent from them? I am sure the answer is too few. This is because most websites were developed without even considering their online objectives, much less any monetising strategies. There are over 100 ways to make money online; however, today I will focus on nine of my favourite ideas.


1. Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising

You can place ads from other networks on your website by cutting and pasting code from the particular network to your website. The most popular option for this strategy is Google Adsense. Yahoo! Publisher Network (YPN) also offers similar services. You will need to sign up with a network to begin the process.

It works like this: you determine where on your website the ads will be displayed and set up the code accordingly. Visitors to your website will click on these ads and you will receive a certain amount of money from the network for each click. The amount received ranges from a few cents to a few dollars and is largely dependent on your website niche. The ads displayed are usually related to the content of your website.

2. Cost Per Mille (CPM) Advertising

CPM refers to the unit cost for every 1,000 page views an ad receives. For example, if the CPM is $2 and your webpage receives 50,000 page views monthly then you will earn $2 x (50,000/1,000) = $100 monthly.

To participate in a CPM network you must register with one of the many advertising networks. The CPM rates vary per network and the page views that your website receive will determine your eligibility to participate. For websites with low pageviews networks like ValueClickMedia.com is appropriate while Advertising.com caters to high pageview websites. The factors affecting your income when using this strategy are similar to those when using PPC.

3. In-text Advertising

In-text advertising is easily identified by a double underline that differentiates a word or phrase from normal text links. When a visitor places their mouse over the text an ad pops up. You will be paid each time the visitor clicks on the ad.

Web usability experts frowned at this strategy when it was first introduced but a number of mainstream websites have since adapted to its use.

4. Affiliate Marketing

Using your website for affiliate marketing is similar to acting as a salesperson for one or more companies in the brick and mortar world. To participate, you register to be an affiliate with a merchant and receive payment for each sale or lead that your website generates for the merchant. Visitors to your site will be sent to the merchant's site by clicking on links that you have installed for this purpose. This is sometimes referred to as Cost Per Action (CPA) or Cost Per Lead (CPL).

Search the search engines for "affiliate network" or "affiliate marketplace" to find suitable networks to join.

5. Banner Advertising

This option allows you to cut out the middleman (Google Adsense, YPN, etc) and set your own rates, unlike the previous options listed. The disadvantage is that you will be responsible for selling the ad space and managing the entire process.

The rates charged for banner ads are usually dependent on the size and placement of the banners. Therefore, cost for placing a banner on your home page is usually higher than those placed on your inner pages.

6. Website Sponsorship

Similar to a television programme having sponsors, you can opt to attract sponsorship for sections of your website. This is more common with video or audio content and is catching on with mini applications called widgets. However, any feature of your website can be sponsored, eg, a survey, special report, etc.
This increases your pricing options, while giving advertisers the ability to target a niche audience, with a reduced commitment.

7. Generating an E-mail List

Have you ever wondered why e-mail marketers are so persistent in getting into your email inbox? Because it pays! Email marketing is a numbers game and in this case size does matter. The bigger your list the more chances of you monetising it.

Generating a large enough list will take some effort but when completed you can use it to market products for advertisers or yourself. One of the best ways to use your list is to send out newsletters. You can then monetise your newsletters by selling ad space, advertising affiliate links or promoting your own products in each issue.

Please don't forget to adhere to anti-spamming laws.

8. e-Commerce

This may be the most familiar option to you so far. Adding e-commerce capability to your website will take some effort. You must setup credit card acceptance mechanisms, shipping options for non-digital products and, of course, add a shopping cart to your website.

9. Sell your Website

The steps to sell your website are not much different from selling a brick and mortar business. You must determine a value for your website which is usually your revenue times a number. The potential and quality of your website will determine the number used.

Just as there are real estate moguls offline who buy and flip property, there are online moguls who flip websites. There are also websites that operate as brokers for buying and selling websites.

Bonus

There was a Jamaican who bought an e-mail list of one million addresses. He sent half of them a tip that a stock was going up and the other half a tip that it was going down. He cut his list in half, keeping only the half who saw that his tip was right. He again gave contrasting predictions with a different stock. He continued this cycle until he was down to about 14,000 persons who saw him consistently predicting winners. He then sent his final e-mail inviting them to his $4,995 a seat seminar on stock price prediction.

This is not another idea; I just wanted to share an interesting story with you that is popular in my online community.

There are many persons who are using these nine ideas and more online; some have become millionaires, others are making a decent living and some have gone back to their day jobs. Just remember that the amount of traffic that your website receives will be a major factor in determining your success or failure.

Wayne Marsh is an Internet Marketing Consultant and can be contacted at marshwa@wsiwebprofits.com or www.wsiwebprofits.com.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

"15 Most Common Causes of Death in the World."



"15 Most Common Causes of Death in the World." 15 September 2007.

You never just how you're gonna go, but odds are it's one of these 15 causes of death. According to the World Health Organization's World Health Report, these 15 causes of death make up about 58 percent of all deaths.

Cause Percent of total
1. Ischemic heart disease 12.6
2. Cerebrovascular diseases 9.7
3. Lower respiratory infections (e.g., pneumonia) 6.8
4. HIV/AIDS 4.9
5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 4.8
6. Diarrheal diseases 3.2
7. Tuberculosis 2.7
8. Malaria (tied) 2.2
9. Cancer of trachea/bronchus/lung (tied) 2.2
10. Road traffic accidents 2.1
11. Childhood diseases 2.0
12. other unintentional injuries (tied) 1.6
13. Hypertensive heart disease (tied) 1.6
14. Suicide (tied) 1.5
15. Stomach cancer (tied)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

WHO: heart, infectious diseases, cancer kill most

Updated Mon. Oct. 27 2008 12:53 PM ET

The Associated Press

GENEVA -- Heart ailments, infectious diseases and cancer remain the world's top three killers, the UN health agency said Monday.

Heart attacks and related problems are the top killer, claiming 29 per cent of people who die each year, the World Health Organization said in a report on the global burden of disease. In second place, infectious diseases lead to 16.2 per cent of worldwide deaths.

Cancer, in third, claims 12.6 per cent of global deaths, said the 146-page report, which is based on death registration data from 112 countries and estimates where reporting is incomplete.

The figures are from 2004, the most recent records available on a wide scale, officials from WHO said. But the rankings are unchanged since 1990 when WHO first did a global check.

Colin Mathers, WHO expert and lead author of the report, said he believed infectious diseases used to be the leading killer 20 to 40 years ago, but that he did not have statistics to back it up.

Some 58.8 million people died worldwide in 2004, most of them over 60, the report said. Nearly one in five deaths was a child under five.

The heart disease death rate was virtually unchanged from WHO's previous study on death causes, based on 2002 figures.

The rate for infectious diseases dropped from 2002, when they accounted for 19.1 of the world's deaths, partly because estimates for AIDS deaths were revised downward last year, said Mathers.

"Malaria deaths are also somewhat lower, and some of the other child causes have also come down a bit," Mathers said, adding that the number of deaths from measles has dropped thanks to wider use of vaccination.

Women die more often from heart disease than men. The rate for females is 31.5 per cent, and for males 26.8 per cent, the report said.

Mathers said the percentage for women was higher because there were more women living at older ages than men.

But in general, men are more affected by heart diseases, he said.

"Men in many parts of the world have a higher risk," he said, adding that they are more often overweight or obese, get insufficient physical activity and eat more fat and salt.

Filling out the top 12 causes of death are respiratory infections including pneumonia in fourth place, 7.2 per cent; respiratory diseases, including asthma and allergies, 6.9 per cent; accidental injuries and drownings, 6.6 per cent; newborn health problems, 5.4 per cent; digestive diseases, 3.5 per cent; suicide, murder and conflict, 2.8 per cent; neuropsychiatric disorders, 2.1 per cent; diabetes, 1.9 per cent; and maternal health problems related to pregnancy or birth 0.9 per cent.

Dr. Ties Boerma, who heads the agency's statistics department, said there is always a time delay in assembling such data from a number of countries.

"Countries have a backlog of two, three years in publicizing their own information," he said.

In countries where no death registration data are available, the figures are taken from research studies, which take a few years to get published, Boerma said.

The most common disease in the world :



The most common disease in the world :

by RUTH EASTMAN, femail.co.uk


Is your smile as healthy as you think?

You may try your best to keep fit and healthy, pay attention to your diet and follow all the latest medical advice.

But the chances are you are probably suffering from the most common disease in the world.

Gum disease affects a staggering nine out of ten of us. And while it sounds innocuous, developed cases are now being linked with everything from premature birth to stomach ulcers, pneumonia, coronary artery disease and strokes.

Here is our guide to the disease - from how to spot it, treat it and prevent it - to the research linking it to more serious conditions.

What is gum disease?
There are two main types of gum disease: gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is the less serious condition, which if left unchecked can develop into the more serious condition periodontitis.

The problem is caused by bacteria in plaque (the clear, sticky film that forms on your teeth) which starts to attack the gums. If the milder form of gum disease is left untreated the plaque spreads and grows below the gum line.

Toxins produced by the bacteria aggravate the gums, and the tissue and bone that anchor the tooth in the affected area break down. When gum and bone erode away, the root of the tooth becomes visible (hence the expression 'long in the tooth').

'Gum disease isn't something you pick up,' says one leading London dentist. 'It's a slow-growing degenerative condition of people who don't brush their teeth properly. It's probably 90 per cent preventable. It's also age-related. A lot of the cases I see are people of 35 and onwards, but you can prevent it when you're young through good oral hygiene.'

What evidence is there linking gum disease to other illnesses?
Since 1998 a wide range of research from America has pointed the finger at gum disease as a dangerous trigger for coronary artery disease, strokes, pneumonia, stomach ulcers and even premature birth.

Although research is still ongoing, it is thought that the toxins in the infected gum enter the bloodstream, travel to the relevant parts of the body and damage occurs through inflammation or an immune response.

In the case of premature birth, research at the University of North Carolina showed that 18.2 per cent of women who went into labour early had gum disease. The toxins, it was suggested, reach the placenta which causes premature labour.

How to spot gum disease
You'll know you have gum disease if you have bad breath, your gums become red and swollen, and you bleed when you brush. 'Many people think bleeding gums are normal,' says specialist periodontist Amanda Biddle. 'But they are not at all. They are a sign of gum disease.'

To test if you have bad breath lick your wrist, wait a few seconds until it dries, then sniff it. No smell, no problem.

How to treat it
If you think you have gum disease go to see your dentist and ask them to perform a gum check. If you do have serious gum disease your dentist may well refer you to a periodontist. Some periodontal surgery is available on the NHS.

Your dentist or periodontist will remove the accumulated plaque (tartar) and tell you how to brush more effectively to prevent the disease taking hold. They'll also recommend dental floss and possibly 'interdental' brushes - thin toothbrushes to get in between the teeth. Anti-bacterial mouthwashes also keep the enemy at bay.

In advanced cases of periodontitis surgery may be required to clean underneath the gum and to reposition the gum. The tooth may even need replacing.

How to prevent it
Dr John Smith, a periodontist who also practises in London, advises brushing with soft bristles and a gentle action. 'Never use a hard toothbrush,' he says. 'It's abrasive on the

teeth and could cause the gums to recede. Look for a fluoride toothpaste that has anti-plaque, or anti-plaque and anti-tartar agents. Whitening agents do nothing to help gums.'

Other advice includes making sure you brush your teeth for two minutes both in the morning and at night in a methodical way. 'Don't forget you need to brush both sides of the teeth and on both the left and the right sides of your mouth and all the way to the back,' says Amanda Biddle. 'Many people who think they brush well in fact only brush certain areas of their mouth every day and for far less than the recommended two minutes.'

NHS dental treatment is still free for those under 18, or under 19 and still in full-time education, so if you think your child could do with an oral hygiene lesson it won't cost a thing to find out.

No such thing as "deleted" on the Internet



No such thing as "deleted" on the Internet - a Yahoo excerpt

Thu May 21, 2009 11:51AM EDT

It's always fun to write about research that you can actually try out for yourself.

Try this: Take a photo and upload it to Facebook, then after a day or so, note what the URL to the picture is (the actual photo, not the page on which the photo resides), and then delete it. Come back a month later and see if the link works. Chances are: It will.

Facebook isn't alone here. Researchers at Cambridge University (so you know this is legit, people!) have found that nearly half of the social networking sites don't immediately delete pictures when a user requests they be removed. In general, photo-centric websites like Flickr were found to be better at quickly removing deleted photos upon request.

Why do "deleted" photos stick around so long? The problem relates to the way data is stored on large websites: While your personal computer only keeps one copy of a file, large-scale services like Facebook rely on what are called content delivery networks to manage data and distribution. It's a complex system wherein data is copied to multiple intermediate devices, usually to speed up access to files when millions of people are trying to access the service simultaneously. (Yahoo! Tech is served by dozens of servers, for example.) But because changes aren't reflected across the CDN immediately, ghost copies of files tend to linger for days or weeks.

In the case of Facebook, the company says data may hang around until the URL in question is reused, which is usually "after a short period of time." Though obviously that time can vary considerably.

Of course, once a photo escapes from the walled garden of a social network like Facebook, the chances of deleting it permanently fall even further. Google's caching system is remarkably efficient at archiving copies of web content, long after it's removed from the web. Anyone who's ever used Google Image Search can likely tell you a story about clicking on a thumbnail image, only to find that the image has been deleted from the website in question -- yet the thumbnail remains on Google for months. And then there are services like the Wayback Machine, which copy entire websites for posterity, archiving data and pictures forever.

The lesson: Those drunken party photos you don't want people to see? Simply don't upload them to the web, ever, because trying to delete them after you sober up is a tough proposition.

The Death of Hitler - An Excerpt



The Death of Hitler - An Excerpt


In April of 1945, Hitler moved into the Führerbunker, located 50 feet below the Chancellery buildings in Berlin. In this underground complex containing nearly thirty rooms on two separate floors, Hitler held daily briefings with his generals amid reports of the unstoppable Soviet advance into Berlin. He issued frantic orders to defend Berlin with armies that were already wiped out or were making a hasty retreat westward to surrender to the Americans.

On April 22, during a three hour military conference in the bunker, Hitler let loose a hysterical, shrieking denunciation of the Army and the 'universal treason, corruption, lies and failures' of all those who had deserted him. The end had come, Hitler exclaimed, his Reich was a failure and now there was nothing left for him to do but stay in Berlin and fight to the very end.

His staff attempted without success to convince him to escape to the mountains around Berchtesgaden and direct remaining troops and thus prolong the Reich. But Hitler told them his decision was final. He even insisted a public announcement be made.

Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels then brought his entire family, including six young children, to live with Hitler in the bunker. Hitler began sorting through his own papers and selected documents to be burned.

Personnel in the bunker were given permission by Hitler to leave. Most did leave and headed south for the area around Berchtesgaden via a convoy of trucks and planes. Only a handful of Hitler's personal staff remained, including his top aide Martin Bormann, the Goebbels family, SS and military aides, two of Hitler's secretaries, and longtime companion Eva Braun.

On April 23, Hitler's friend and Minister of Armaments, Albert Speer, arrived for his final meeting with the Führer. At this meeting Speer bluntly informed Hitler that he had disobeyed the Führer's scorched earth policy and had preserved German factories and industry for the post-war period. Hitler listened in silence and had no particular reaction, much to the surprise of Speer.

That afternoon, Hitler received a surprise telegram from Göring who had already reached safety in Berchtesgaden.

My Führer!
In view of your decision to remain in the fortress of Berlin, do you agree that I take over at once the total leadership of the Reich, with full freedom of action at home and abroad as your deputy, in accordance with your decree of June 29, 1941? If no reply is received by 10 o'clock tonight, I shall take it for granted that you have lost your freedom of action, and shall consider the conditions of your decree as fulfilled, and shall act for the best interests of our country and our people. You know what I feel for you in this gravest hour of my life. Words fail me to express myself. May God protect you, and speed you quickly here in spite of all.

Your loyal
Hermann Göring

An angry Hitler, prompted by Bormann, sent Göring a return message saying he had committed "high treason." Although the penalty for this was death, Göring was to be spared, due to his long years of service, if he would immediately resign all of his offices. Bormann then transmitted an order to the SS near Berchtesgaden to arrest Göring and his staff. Before dawn on April 25, Göring was locked up.

The next day, April 26, Soviet artillery fire made the first direct hits on the Chancellery buildings and grounds directly above the Führerbunker. That evening, a small plane containing female test pilot Hanna Reitsch and Luftwaffe General Ritter von Greim landed in the street near the bunker following a daring flight in which Greim had been wounded in the foot by Soviet ground fire.

Once inside the Führerbunker the wounded Greim was informed by Hitler he was to be Göring's successor, promoted to Field-Marshal in command of the Luftwaffe.

Although a telegram could have accomplished this, Hitler had insisted Greim appear in person to receive his commission. But now, due to his wounded foot, Greim would be bedridden for three days in the bunker.

On the night of April 27, Soviet bombardment of the Chancellery buildings reached its peak with numerous direct hits. Hitler sent frantic telegrams to Keitel demanding Berlin be relieved by (now non-existent) armies.

The final blow came on the 28th when Hitler received word via Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry that British news services were reporting SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler had sought negotiations with the Allies and had even offered to surrender German armies in the west to Eisenhower.

According to eyewitnesses in the bunker, Hitler "raged like a madman" with a ferocity never seen before. Himmler had been with Hitler since the beginning and had earned the nickname "der treue Heinrich" (faithful Heinrich) through years of fanatical, murderous service to his Führer, who now ordered Himmler's arrest.

As an act of immediate revenge, Hitler ordered Himmler's personal representative in the bunker, SS Lt. Gen. Hermann Fegelein, who was also the husband of Eva Braun's sister, to be taken up to the Chancellery garden above the bunker and shot.

Now, with the desertions of Göring and Himmler and the Soviets advancing deep into Berlin, Hitler began preparing for his own death.

Late in the evening of the 28th he dictated his last will and a two-part political testament (shown below) in which he expressed many of the same sentiments he had stated in Mein Kampf back in 1923-24. He essentially blamed the Jews for everything, including the Second World War. He also made a reference to his 1939 threat against the Jews along with a veiled reference to the subsequent gas chambers...

"I further left no one in doubt that this time not only would millions of children of Europe's Aryan people die of hunger, not only would millions of grown men suffer death, and not only hundreds of thousands of women and children be burnt and bombed to death in the towns, without the real criminal having to atone for this guilt, even if by more humane means."

Just before midnight, he married Eva Braun in a brief civil ceremony. There was then a celebration of the marriage in his private suite. Champagne was brought out and those left in the bunker listened to Hitler reminisce about better days gone by. Hitler concluded, however, that death would be a release for him after the recent betrayal of his oldest friends and supporters.

By the afternoon of April 29, Soviet ground forces were about a mile away from the Führerbunker. Inside the bunker the last news from the outside world told of the downfall and death of Mussolini, who had been captured by Italian partisans, executed, then hung upside down and thrown into the gutter.

Hitler now readied himself for the end by first having his poison tested on his favorite dog, Blondi. He also handed poison capsules to his female secretaries while apologizing that he did not have better parting gifts to give them. The capsules were for them to use if the Soviets stormed the bunker.

About 2:30 in the morning of April 30, Hitler came out of his private quarters into a dining area for a farewell with staff members. With glazed eyes, he shook hands in silence, then retired back into his quarters. Following Hitler's departure, those officers and staff members mulled over the significance of what they had just witnessed. The tremendous tension of preceding days seemed to suddenly evaporate with the realization that the end of Hitler was near. A lighthearted mood surfaced, followed by spontaneous displays of merry-making even including dancing.

At noon, Hitler attended his last military situation conference and was told the Soviets were just a block away. At 2 p.m., Hitler sat down and had his last meal, a vegetarian lunch. His chauffeur was then ordered to deliver 200 liters of gasoline to the Chancellery garden.

Hitler and his wife Eva then bid a final farewell to Bormann, Goebbels, Generals Krebs and Burgdorf, other remaining military aides and staff members.

Hitler and his wife then went back into their private quarters while Bormann and Goebbels remained quietly nearby. Several moments later a gunshot was heard. After waiting a few moments, at 3:30 p.m., Bormann and Goebbels entered and found the body of Hitler sprawled on the sofa, dripping with blood from a gunshot to his right temple. Eva Braun had died from swallowing poison.

As Soviet shells exploded nearby, the bodies were carried up to the Chancellery garden, doused with gasoline and burned while Bormann and Goebbels stood by and gave a final Nazi salute. Over the next three hours the bodies were repeatedly doused with gasoline. The charred remains were then swept into a canvas, placed into a shell crater and buried.

Back inside the bunker, with the Führer now gone, everyone began smoking, a practice Hitler had generally forbidden in his presence. They next began collectively plotting daring (but fruitless) escapes out of Berlin to avoid capture by the Soviets.

On the following day, May 1, Goebbels and his wife proceeded to poison their six young children in the bunker, then went up into the Chancellery garden where they were shot in the back of the head at their request by an SS man. Their bodies were then burned, but were only partially destroyed and were not buried. Their macabre remains were discovered by the Soviets the next day and filmed, the charred body of Goebbels becoming an often seen image symbolizing of the legacy of Hitler's Reich.

The Last Will of Adolf Hitler

As I did not consider that I could take responsibility, during the years of struggle, of contracting a marriage, I have now decided, before the closing of my earthly career, to take as my wife that girl who, after many years of faithful friendship, entered, of her own free will, the practically besieged town in order to share her destiny with me. At her own desire she goes as my wife with me into death. It will compensate us for what we both lost through my work in the service of my people.

What I possess belongs - in so far as it has any value - to the Party. Should this no longer exist, to the State; should the State also be destroyed, no further decision of mine is necessary.

My paintings, in the collections which I have bought in the course of years, have never been collected for private purposes, but only for the extension of a gallery in my home town of Linz on Donau.

It is my most sincere wish that this bequest may be duly executed.

I nominate as my Executor my most faithful Party comrade,
Martin Bormann

He is given full legal authority to make all decisions.

He is permitted to take out everything that has a sentimental value or is necessary for the maintenance of a modest simple life, for my brothers and sisters, also above all for the mother of my wife and my faithful co-workers who are well known to him, principally my old Secretaries Frau Winter etc. who have for many years aided me by their work.

I myself and my wife - in order to escape the disgrace of deposition or capitulation - choose death. It is our wish to be burnt immediately on the spot where I have carried out the greatest part of my daily work in the course of a twelve years' service to my people.

Given in Berlin, 29th April 1945, 4:00 A.M.
[Signed] A. Hitler

[Witnesses]
Dr. Joseph Goebbels
Martin Bormann
Colonel Nicholaus von Below

First Part of the Political Testament

More than thirty years have now passed since I in 1914 made my modest contribution as a volunteer in the First World War that was forced upon the Reich.

In these three decades I have been actuated solely by love and loyalty to my people in all my thoughts, acts, and life. They gave me the strength to make the most difficult decisions which have ever confronted mortal man. I have spent my time, my working strength, and my health in these three decades.

It is untrue that I or anyone else in Germany wanted the war in 1939. It was desired and instigated exclusively by those international statesmen who were either of Jewish descent or worked for Jewish interests. I have made too many offers for the control and limitation of armaments, which posterity will not for all time be able to disregard for the responsibility for the outbreak of this war to be laid on me. I have further never wished that after the first fatal world war a second against England, or even against America, should break out. Centuries will pass away, but out of the ruins of our towns and monuments the hatred against those finally responsible whom we have to thank for everything, International Jewry and its helpers, will grow.

Three days before the outbreak of the German-Polish war I again proposed to the British ambassador in Berlin a solution to the German-Polish problem - similar to that in the case of the Saar district, under international control. This offer also cannot be denied. It was only rejected because the leading circles in English politics wanted the war, partly on account of the business hoped for and partly under influence of propaganda organized by International Jewry.

I have also made it quite plain that, if the nations of Europe are again to be regarded as mere shares to be bought and sold by these international conspirators in money and finance, then that race, Jewry, which is the real criminal of this murderous struggle, will be saddled with the responsibility. I further left no one in doubt that this time not only would millions of children of Europe's Aryan people die of hunger, not only would millions of grown men suffer death, and not only hundreds of thousands of women and children be burnt and bombed to death in the towns, without the real criminal having to atone for this guilt, even if by more humane means.

After six years of war, which in spite of all setbacks, will go down one day in history as the most glorious and valiant demonstration of a nation's life purpose, I cannot forsake the city which is the capital of this Reich. As our forces are too small to make any further stand against the enemy attack at this place and since our resistance is gradually being weakened by men who are as deluded as they are lacking in initiative, I should like, by remaining in this town, to share my fate with those, the millions of others, who have also taken upon themselves to do so. Moreover I do not wish to fall into the hands of an enemy who requires a new spectacle organized by the Jews for the amusement of their hysterical masses.

I have decided therefore to remain in Berlin and there of my own free will to choose death at the moment when I believe the position of the Führer and Chancellor itself can no longer be held.

I die with a joyful heart, aware of the immeasurable deeds and achievements of our soldiers at the front, our women at home, the achievements of our farmers and workers and the work, unique in history, of our youth who bear my name.

That from the bottom of my heart I express my thanks to you all, is just as self-evident as my wish that you should, because of that, on no account give up the struggle, but rather continue it against the enemies of the Fatherland, no matter where, true to the creed of a great Clausewitz. From the sacrifice of our soldiers and from my own unity with them unto death, will in any case spring up in the history of Germany, the seed of a radiant renaissance of the National Socialist movement and thus of the realization of a true community of nations.

Many of the most courageous men and women have decided to unite their lives with mine until the very last. I have begged and finally ordered them not to do this, but to take part in the further battle of the Nation. I beg the heads of the Armies, the Navy and the Air Force to strengthen by all possible means the spirit of resistance of our soldiers in the National Socialist sense, with special reference to the fact that also I myself, as founder and creator of this movement, have preferred death to cowardly abdication or even capitulation.

May it, at some future time, become part of the code of honor of German Army officers - as is already the case in our Navy - that the surrender of a district or of a town is impossible, and that above all commanders must march ahead as shining examples, faithfully fulfilling their duty unto death.

Second Part of the Political Testament

Before my death I expel the former Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring from the party and deprive him of all rights which he may enjoy by virtue of the decree of June 29th, 1941; and also by virtue of my statement in the Reichstag on September 1st, 1939, I appoint in his place Grossadmiral Dönitz, President of the Reich and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

Before my death I expel the former Reichsführer-SS and Minister of the Interior, Heinrich Himmler, from the party and from all offices of State. In his stead I appoint Gauleiter Karl Hanke as Reichsführer-SS and Chief of the German Police, and Gauleiter Paul Giesler as Reich Minister of the Interior.

Göring and Himmler, quite apart from their disloyalty to my person, have done immeasurable harm to the country and the whole nation by secret negotiations with the enemy, which they have conducted without my knowledge and against my wishes, and by illegally attempting to seize power in the State for themselves...[Hitler then names the members of the new government].

Although a number of men, such as Martin Bormann, Dr. Goebbels, etc., together with their wives, have joined me of their own free will and did not wish to leave the capital of the Reich under any circumstances, but were willing to perish with me here, I must nevertheless ask them to obey my request, and in this case set the interests of the nation above their own feelings. By their work and loyalty as comrades they will be just as close to me after death, as I hope that my spirit will linger among them and always go with them. Let them be hard but never unjust, but above all let them never allow fear to influence their actions, and set the honor of the nation above everything in the world. Finally, let them be conscious of the fact that our task, that of continuing the building of a National Socialist State, represents the work of the coming centuries, which places every single person under an obligation always to serve the common interest and to subordinate his own advantage to this end. I demand of all Germans, all National Socialists, men, women and all the men of the Armed Forces, that they be faithful and obedient unto death to the new government and its President.

Above all I charge the leaders of the nation and those under them to scrupulous observance of the laws of race and to merciless opposition to the universal poisoner of all peoples, International Jewry.

Given in Berlin, this 29th day of April 1945, 4:00 A.M.

Adolf Hitler

[Witnesses]
Dr. Joseph Goebbels Wilhelm Burgdorf
Martin Bormann Hans Krebs

_____________________________________________________________________________________



A Mumbai Restaurant Called "Hitler " an excerpt

Controversy creates popularity; some times this line fits everywhere as happened in Mumbai. ‘Hitler’s Cross’ is a restaurant in Mumbai that is promoted with posters of Hitler and Nazi swastikas everywhere in the restaurant.


Its interior is in the Nazi colors of red, white and black. The swastika in the restaurant symbolizes the Nazi regime. The owner of the restaurant, Punit Shablok, said that he wanted to name the restaurant something different and this is the name, which will stay in people’s mind.


However, it has enraged the Jewish community in Mumbai. According to Jonathan Solomon, Chairman of the Indian Jewish Federation, This kind of act connotes lack of awareness of the agony of millions of Jews by one man that was Hitler. The veneration of Hitler should stop immediately.