Updated

Ballad Of The Skeletons (written by: Allen Ginsberg)

See the video by clicking:

Allen Ginsberg & Paul McCartney_The Ballad Of The Skeletons

Said the Presidential Skeleton I won't sign the bill Said the Speaker skeleton Yes you will

Said the Representative Skeleton I object Said the Supreme Court skeleton Whaddya expect

Said the Miltary skeleton Buy Star Bombs Said the Upperclass Skeleton Starve unmarried moms

Said the Yahoo Skeleton Stop dirty art Said the Right Wing skeleton Forget about yr heart

Said the Gnostic Skeleton The Human Form's divine Said the Moral Majority skeleton No it's not it's mine

Said the Buddha Skeleton Compassion is wealth Said the Corporate skeleton It's bad for your health

Said the Old Christ skeleton Care for the Poor Said the Son of God skeleton AIDS needs cure

Said the Homophobe skeleton Gay folk suck Said the Heritage Policy skeleton Blacks're outa luck

Said the Macho skeleton Women in their place Said the Fundamentalist skeleton Increase human race

Said the Right-to-Life skeleton Foetus has a soul Said Pro Choice skeleton Shove it up your hole

Said the Downsized skeleton Robots got my job Said the Tough-on-Crime skeleton Tear gas the mob

Said the Governor skeleton Cut school lunch Said the Mayor skeleton Eat the budget crunch

Said the Neo Conservative skeleton Homeless off the street! Said the Free Market skeleton Use 'em up for meat

Said the Think Tank skeleton Free Market's the way Said the Saving & Loan skeleton Make the State pay

Said the Chrysler skeleton Pay for you & me Said the Nuke Power skeleton & me & me & me

Said the Ecologic skeleton Keep Skies blue Said the Multinational skeleton What's it worth to you?

Said the NAFTA skeleton Get rich, Free Trade, Said the Maquiladora skeleton Sweat shops, low paid

Said the rich GATT skeleton One world, high tech Said the Underclass skeleton Get it in the neck

Said the World Bank skeleton Cut down your trees Said the I.M.F. skeleton Buy American cheese

Said the Underdeveloped skeleton We want rice Said Developed Nations' skeleton Sell your bones for dice

Said the Ayatollah skeleton Die writer die Said Joe Stalin's skeleton That's no lie

Said the Middle Kingdom skeleton We swallowed Tibet Said the Dalai Lama skeleton Indigestion's whatcha get

Said the World Chorus skeleton That's their fate Said the U.S.A. skeleton Gotta save Kuwait

Said the Petrochemical skeleton Roar Bombers roar! Said the Psychedelic skeleton Smoke a dinosaur

Said Nancy's skeleton Just say No Said the Rasta skeleton Blow Nancy Blow

Said Demagogue skeleton Don't smoke Pot Said Alcoholic skeleton Let your liver rot

Said the Junkie skeleton Can't we get a fix? Said the Big Brother skeleton Jail the dirty pricks

Said the Mirror skeleton Hey good looking Said the Electric Chair skeleton Hey what's cooking?

Said the Talkshow skeleton Fuck you in the face Said the Family Values skeleton My family values mace

Said the NY Times skeleton That's not fit to print Said the CIA skeleton Cantcha take a hint?

Said the Network skeleton Believe my lies Said the Advertising skeleton Don't get wise!

Said the Media skeleton Believe you me Said the Couch-potato skeleton What me worry?

Said the TV skeleton Eat sound bites Said the Newscast skeleton That's all Goodnight

Student's room

Colonialism

Some moments in the History written by the West World happened centuries ago, like wars, new systems in a country, the industrial revolution and colonialism. But… has Colonialism as a system of, politically and economically, ruling a country all gone? Probably no, as you may think.

Have you ever thought about the context of these words? Link the word to a possible definition:
Some moments in the History written by the West World happened centuries ago, like wars, new systems in a country, the industrial revolution and colonialism. But… has Colonialism as a system of, politically and economically, ruling a country all gone? Probably no, as you may think.
Colonies (n.)
Administration (n.)
Corruption (n.)
Gold (n.)
Sovereign (adj.)
Settlement (n.)
Colonial period

And what about the modern colonialism? How does Modern Colonialism take place? Read the opinion of an expert.
“The great stream of corruption flows from the North to the South. The Western world has placed a straw into the resources of the Third World. Today’s system of corruption has definite characteristics that resemble a modern form of colonialism and constitutes one of the biggest obstacles for development in the Third World”, says corruption hunter and special advisor, Eva Joly, to Norwatch.”

The geography of it has changed a lot, but a form of colonialism is still taking place on earth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonialism
http://www.norwatch.no/index.php?artikkelid=1436&back=1
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/British/BrIndia2im.html
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Gandhi/gandhi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_imperialism.

Take my word for it !!

A PASSAGE TO INDIA

SUBJECTS --- World/India & England; Literature;SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING --- Friendship; MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS --- Trustworthiness; Respect. Age: 12+; MPAA Rating: PG; Drama; 1984; 163 minutes; Color.

A Passage to India is the beautiful story of several individuals, some British and others Indian, who try to become friends during the British colonial occupation of India. The movie is closely based on the classic novel by E.M. Forster and is an excellent way to re-experience the book if it has already been read. If a child loves the film but did not read the book, TeachWithMovies.com suggests that he or she be encouraged to read the book. A parent or a teacher can truthfully say that, as wonderful as the movie is, the book is better. It contains detailed descriptions and insights that could not possibly be put in any film.

http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/passage-to-india.html

Travel with English

English in India

Officially English has a status of assistant language, but in fact it is the most important language of India. After Hindi it is the most commonly spoken language in India and probably the most read and written language in India. Indians who know English will always try to show that they know English. English symbolizes in Indians minds, better education, better culture and higher intellect. Indians who know English often mingle it with Indian languages in their conversations. It is also usual among Indians to abruptly move to speak fluent English in the middle of their conversations. English also serves as the communicator among Indians who speak different language. English is very important in some systems – legal, financial, educational, business – in India. Until the beginning of 1990s, foreign movies in India weren’t translated or dubbed in Indian languages, but were broadcast in English and were meant for English speakers only. The reason Indians give such importance to English is related to the fact that India was a British colony (see Europeans in India).

When the British started ruling India, they searched for Indian mediators who could help them to administer India. The British turned to high caste Indians to work for them. Many high caste Indians, especially the Brahmans worked for them. The British policy was to create an Indian class who should think like the British, or as it was said then in Britain “Indians in blood and color but English in taste, in opinions and morals and intellect”. The British also established in India universities based on British models with emphasis on English. These Indians also got their education in British universities. The English Christian missionaries came to India from 1813 and they also built schools at primary level for Indians in which the language of instruction was local language. Later on the missionaries built high schools with English as the language of instruction which obliged the Indians who wanted to study to have a good knowledge of English. The British rulers began building their universities in India from 1857. English became the first language in Indian education. The ‘modern’ leaders of that era in India also supported English language and claimed it to be the main key towards success. Indians who knew good English were seen as the new elite of India. Many new schools were established in which the language of instruction was English. According to the British laws the language of instruction at university level was English and therefore schools that emphasized English were preferred by ambitious Indians. Even after India’s independence, English remained the main language of India. Officially it was given a status of an assistant language and was supposed to terminate officially after 15 years of India’s independence, but it still remains the important language of India.
Even today schools in India that emphasis English are considered better schools and the same is the case at university levels, even though there is a trend towards Indianization. In the 1970s and 1980s about one third of the Indian schools had English as their first language. For most of these students, English is their first language and it is easier for them to communicate, read and write in English than in Indian languages, including their mother tongues.
Just like the Americans, Australians or even the British who have their unique English words and phrases, the Indians also have their own unique English. The Indians and the Indian English language press uses many words derived from Indian languages, especially from Hindi. Other than that, the Indian accent is sometimes difficult for non-Indians to understand. There are some Indian pronunciations that don’t exist in non Indian languages. The British also had problems with that and they caused some changes in Indian words so that they could pronounce them. Even the Indians started using these changed words and made them part of their English. Two examples of such changed words are currey and sari.

http://adaniel.tripod.com/Languages3.htm

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Updated

The University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (associate, bachelor, master, and doctorate) in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education.
In medieval Europe, there were only four faculties in a university: Theology, Medicine, Canon Law and Liberal Arts (Arts), with the last one having a somewhat lower status. In the early 20th century, new disciplines such as education, sociology, and psychology were added. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was an explosion of new disciplines focusing on specific themes, such as media studies, women's studies, and Black studies.
Many disciplines designed as preparation for careers and professions, such as nursing, hospitality management, and corrections also emerged in the universities. Finally, the visibility of such interdisciplinary scientific fields as biochemistry and geophysics increased, as their contribution to knowledge became widely recognized.
In academia today, it is a growing practice to incorporate fields of study that are created by extending the ideas, theories, and methods of more traditional disciplines. Also, new times and revolutionary thinkers can enhance or renew existing disciplines, or even create new disciplines altogether. For example, it can be argued that Freud created a new sub-field of psychology with his new perspective of psychoanalysis.

This issue is by Gabby and Marcone

Student’s Room

U.S. Academic Levels, Definitions and Expected Durations

Short-Term Certificate or Non-Credit: Courses offered which usually do not qualify for regular college credit, and which may or may not be used to meet the requirements for a degree or diploma awarded by an academic institution. Each short-term or non-credit course may last from a few weeks to several months, but typically less than one year.

Associate: The credit-hour requirement for most associate degrees is approximately 60 credit hours, typically completed in two academic years. Often abbreviated AA (for Associate Degree of Art) or AS (Associate Degree of Science), associate's degrees are usually earned at a community or junior college. The course-work for an associate's degree can usually be transferred to a four-year college or university, and applied towards the requirements for a bachelor's degree. Dual enrollment programs, where students may enroll simultaneously at a U.S. high school and a community college, or at a community college and a university, are gaining popularity throughout the United States.

Bachelor: Institutions offering Bachelors Degrees are primarily undergraduate colleges or universities with major emphasis on baccalaureate programs. The traditional definition refers to the lowest degree conferred by a four-year college or university. However, an increasing number of U.S. colleges and institutions are beginning to offer a wider variety of degrees, including Associate and Certificate Programs.

Master: Institutions offering Masters Degrees typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs, and they are committed to graduate education through the Masters Degree. A master is a person holding an academic degree higher than a bachelors but lower than a doctors. An intensive masters degree may be completed in one year, though the average duration is between two and three academic years.

Doctoral / Research: The Carnegie Classification states that these institutions typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs, and they are committed to graduate education through the doctorate. A doctor is a person holding one of the highest academic degrees (as a PhD) conferred by a university. The duration for a doctorate varies widely, from just a few years to decades.

Group Programs for Professionals: These inquiries were originally included under the heading of Short-Term Training Sessions or Non-Credit / Certificate Programs. We distinguished the individuals from the groups due to increased demand by both sides -- international professionals and U.S. campuses. Descriptions of group courses vary greatly; some qualify for regular college credit, and may or may not be used to meet the requirements for a degree or diploma awarded by an academic institution. Each course may last from a few weeks to several months, but typically less than one year. Group inquiries tend to originate from a central source such as a corporate environment or a government-sponsored entity.

Internships: The term is technically defined as a period of time in which a student or recent graduate gains supervised practical experience. Another less formal explanation may be borrowed from Michael Landes' Backdoor Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures: An internship is simply about discovering life's options and finding your place in the world. It's a time to explore, dream and discover -- and turn your dreams into reality.

Summer Programs: Classes held generally between the months of early June and late August. Summer School Students may access many of the same amenities as their full-time counterparts, including on-campus and off-campus housing, library systems, computer labs, athletic facilities, and performances of the arts. The selection of academic courses during summer sessions appears to be growing across the United States, as campus administrators recognize the potential of short-term enrollees evolving into long-term enrollees. College credit is often available during Summer School, though conditions vary widely.

Youth / High School: Academic programs specifically designed for students between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. Academic disciplines vary, though most programs focus on the Liberal Arts (studies such as language, philosophy, history, literature, or abstract science, intended to provide general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities). Duration generally lasts from a few weeks to 12 weeks. College credit may be available to qualified students.

Distance Learning: Wikipedia defines distance education, or distance learning, as a field of education that focuses on delivering education to students who are not physically on site to receive their education. Instead, teachers and students may communicate asynchronously (at times of their own choosing) by exchanging printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time (synchronously). Distance education courses that require a physical on-site presence for any reason including the taking of examinations is considered to be a hybrid or blended course or program.

Take my word for it !!

International

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes seven levels of education in its International Standard Classification of Education system (ISCED). These range from Level 0 (pre-primary education) to Level 6 (second stage of tertiary education). UNESCO's International Bureau of Education maintains a database of country-specific education systems and their stages
Brazilian universities
Undergraduate students in Brazilian universities normally graduate either with a Bacharel degree (equivalent to an American B.S. or B.A.) or with a professional degree (roughly modeled on the old German Diploma).

United States and Canada
In Canada and the United States the grades traditionally begin at 1 and run to 12 (or 11 or 13 in some areas); in the US they are referred to by ordinal number (e.g. "third grade"), while in Canada the cardinal number is used (e.g. "grade 3"). An additional preceding level called Kindergarten is now standard in most areas, and a further preceding level called Preschool or Nursery school is not uncommon. In the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, as well as some parts of the state of Wisconsin, kindergarten is split further into junior and senior kindergarten.
At the secondary school level, grades 9–12 are also known as freshman (or "first-year"), sophomore, junior, and senior, especially in the United States. At the post-secondary level (college or university), these terms are used almost exclusively to refer to what would otherwise be grades 13–16, also mainly in the United States. However, at the post-secondary level in Canada, freshman is often called first-year, sophomore as second-year, and so on.
These tables outline the ages, in years, of each grade level. However, students are sometimes older because of grade retention or younger because of grade skipping.
Elementary school: (sometimes includes 5th or 6th grade, and sometimes goes up to 8th grade)

.

U.S. Grade Ages Canadian Grade

kindergarten 5–6 kindergarten
first grade 6–7 grade one
second grade 7–8 grade two
third grade 8–9 grade three
fourth grade 9–10 grade four
fifth grade 10–11 grade five

.

Middle school:

(variations: grade 5–6, grade 6–8, grade 5–8, grade 5–9, grade 6–9, grade 7–8)

U.S. Grade Ages Canadian Grade

sixth grade 11–12 grade six
seventh grade 12–13 grade seven
eighth grade 13–14 grade eight

.

High school:

U.S. Grade Ages Canadian Grade

ninth grade, freshman 14–15 grade nine
tenth grade, sophomore 15–16 grade ten
eleventh grade, junior 16–17 grade eleven
twelfth grade, senior 17–18 grade twelve

.

Children typically start school at age five, but may turn six during the school year. This accounts for age differences within the same grade. Different school districts have different entrance requirements, with some using age on the first day of school, and others using age on a specified date. Also, some areas use junior high school, typically grades 7–8 or 9, instead of middle school. The grade configurations vary from school to school and district to district in the USA and Canada.

Universities with the Best Free Online Courses

No tuition money? No problem! There are many top universities that offer free courses online. This list ranks several of the best free university courses available for people who want to enhance their personal knowledge or advance in their current field.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

If you are looking for a wide range of free courses offered online, MIT is your best option. More than 1,800 free courses are offered through the school's OpenCourseWare project. Courses are in text, audio and video formats and translated into a number of different languages. Students all over the world use OpenCourseWare and 96 percent of visitors to this site say they would recommend it to someone else.

2. Open University (open.ac.uk)
http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/

The Open University is the UK's largest academic institution. The school's OpenLearn website gives everyone free access to both undergraduate and graduate-level course materials from The Open University. Courses cover a wide range of topics, such as the arts, history, business, education, IT and computing, mathematics and statistics, science, health and technology.

3. Carnegie Mellon University (cmu.edu)
http://www.cmu.edu/oli/

Carnegie Mellon University offers a number of free online courses and materials through a program called Open Learning Initiative. OLI courses are intended to allow anyone at an introductory college level to learn about a particular subject without formal instruction. Course options include such offerings as statistics, biology, chemistry, economics, French and physics.

4. Tufts University (tufts.edu)
http://ocw.tufts.edu/

Like MIT, Tufts has OpenCourseWare that is available free to everyone. Courses are sorted by school (i.e. School of Arts and Sciences, School of Medicine, etc.) and include assignments, lecture notes and other supplementary materials.

5. Stanford (stanford.edu)
http://itunes.stanford.edu/

Stanford University, one of the world's leading academic institutions, has joined forces with iTunes U in providing access to Stanford courses, lectures and interviews. These courses can be downloaded and played on iPods, PCs, and Macs and can also be burned to CDs. If you don't have iTunes, you can download it here for free: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/


6. University of California, Berkeley (berkeley.edu)
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses.php

UC Berkley has been offering live and on-demand webcasts of certain courses since 2001. Hundreds of UC Berkley courses, both current and archived, are now available as podcasts and webcasts. Courses cover a range of subjects, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer programming, engineering, psychology, legal studies and philosophy.

7. Utah State University (usu.edu)
http://ocw.usu.edu/

Utah State University also provides access to free online courses. Study options include everything from anthropology to physics and theatre arts. These comprehensive text-based courses can be downloaded as zip files or viewed directly on the site.

8. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (kutztownsbdc.org)
http://www.kutztownsbdc.org/course_listing.asp

Kutztown University's Small Business Development Center offers the largest collection of free business courses available on the web. Course topics include accounting, finance, government, business law, marketing and sales. Comprehensive text, interactive case studies, slides, graphics and streaming audio help to demonstrate the concepts presented in each course.

9. University of Southern Queensland (usq.edu.au)
http://ocw.usq.edu.au/

The University of Southern Queensland in Australia provides free online access to a number of different courses through yet another OpenCourseWare initiative. Courses from each of the five faculties are available, covering a broad range of topics, including communication, science, career planning, technology, teaching and multimedia creation.

10. University of California, Irvine (uci.edu)
http://ocw.uci.edu/

UC Irvine recently joined the OCW Consortium and began providing free university level courses online. Right now, there are only a handful of options to choose from, but this list is growing. Current courses cover topics like financial planning, human resources, capital markets and e-marketing. Course materials include syllabi, lecture notes, assignments and exams.

Travel with English

Hazing Still Widespread at Colleges, Survey Finds

11,000 students respond; most don't think of their behavior as hazing

PORTLAND, Maine - Virtually every college bans hazing, but more than half of college students belonging to campus organizations say they have experienced it in places from the glee club to the fraternity house, according to a new study. Academic clubs and social and cultural organizations all haze new members, students told professors Elizabeth Allan and Mary Madden from the University of Maine's College of Education and Human Development. "It's far more widespread than many people would've assumed," Allan said.

How to define hazing?

Gary Powell, a hazing expert in Cincinnati, said defining hazing is a potential problem with any study. Drinking to excess and physical abuse clearly are hazing, but the line is blurry for activities that don't put people at risk of injury, he said. Many people define hazing the way Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously defined pornography: '"I know it when I see it,"' said Powell, who dealt with liability issues while working for a law firm that represents fraternities and sororities.
Allan and Madden didn't try to recommend solutions, but Madden said it's clear there's plenty of work to be done when a strong majority of students who are hazed don't realize it.
"They'll call it something else, team-building, or say 'I gave my permission to be treated this way.' It's a challenge for college administrators," Pollard said.

Tips

Twisted College Vocabulary

ABSENT: (n) The notation generally following your name in a class record.

ADMISSIONS OFFICE: (n) Where they take you to get you to admit you've mooned the keynote speaker during "new student weekend."

ANATOMY: (n) One of those classes that sounds vaguely risqué until you find out what it REALLY involves.

BIOLOGY: (n) A class located suspiciously near the cafeteria.

BOOK: (n) A depository of knowledge which a student will try to stay awake long enough to read the night before finals.

BOOKBAG: (n) A large container in which students store candy bars, gum, combs, little slips of paper with phone numbers on them, yo-yos, sunglasses, student I.D.s, loose change, magazines, & (occasionally) books.

CAFETERIA: (n) from Latin "cafe" ("place to eat") and "teria" ("to wretch").

CAFFEINE: (n) One of the four basic food groups.

CALL: (v) What you can't do because your stupid roommate has to go over every stupid detail of every stupid day with their stupid hometown sweetheart.

D-MINUS: (n) A pretty good grade.

DORM: (n) Student residence located only a few convenient miles from 8 a.m. classes. DORMROOM: (n) A small closet-like area inhabited by a pair of incompatible people. EDUCATION BUDGET: (n) Money you allocate each month for movies and magazines.

EXTRA CREDIT: (n) What you wish you had on your credit card. F: (n) A grade that can usually be altered to look like a "B" on a test paper.

JUNIOR VARSITY: (n) The team that everybody supports, but nobody goes to watch.

KLUTZ: (n) What you discover your lab partner is when you ask him to slowly pour the sulfuric acid into the beaker you're holding.

LAB: (n) A room full of icky, funny-looking creatures and the dead frogs they dissect. LETTERMEN: (n) Scholarship athletes who proudly wear letter sweaters proclaiming the vowel or consonant they have mastered.

LIBERAL ARTS: (n) See: "Would you like fries with that?"

LOUNGE: (n) Any area in a dorm, union or classroom building where the only furniture that isn't soiled, ripped or scarred is immediately stolen.

MAJOR: (n) Area of study that no longer interests you.

MIDNIGHT OIL: (n) What you make popcorn in.

MISERY: (n) The sinking feeling you get when introduced to the person your roomie fixed you up with because "the two of you are so much alike."

NICKNAME: (n) Generally, your own name with the suffix "ster" attached in a forced awkward attempt at familiarity. E.g. "Bobster," "Hankster" or "Georgester."

OFF-CAMPUS PARKING: (n) Ample extra parking usually found in an adjoining county.

OUT: (n) Where your roommate always is when one of the 35 clubs she belongs to calls with a very important message.

PAPER: (n) Your version of Cliff Notes.

POSTER: (n) An inexpensive way to decorate a dorm room while making people think you've been to foreign lands and done things you never have.

PRE-LAW: (n) The major of a person who will end up in sales.

VICE SQUAD: (n) A group of uniformed officers who seem to be under the impression that they were invited to your dorm party.

VENDING MACHINE: (n) A coin operated device for dispensing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. VICTOR: (n) Your football team's weekly opponent.

VICTORY: (n) A rarity; a three syllable word that cheerleaders CAN spell.

WEEKEND: (n) Two day period during which your growling stomach makes you really wish you'd signed up for a seven day meal plan.

WINTER: (n) When the air conditioning in your dorm finally kicks in.

WORK-STUDY: (n) Two things not done by a majority of students.

WRISTWATCH: (n) That device on your arm that lets you know which class you're currently late for.

X-RAY: (n) A medical technique that will display cafeteria meatballs up to ten years after they're eaten.

YALE: 1) (n) A well known ivy league university. 2) (v) What southern cheerleaders do. YEARBOOK: (n) A book containing student pictures that will keep getting nerdier as the years go by.

YESTERDAY: (n) When the 12 page paper you started tonight was due.

YIELD SIGN: (n) Dormitory wall decoration you "purchased" around 3 in the morning with the help of two buddies and a hammer.

ZEPPELIN: 1) (n) A large blimp. 2) (n) Still the best band for playing air guitar in one's underwear.

ZERO: (n) The number of times you've gotten to eat most of the pizza you ordered.

ZOO: (n) What dorms would look like if they were a little neater.

ZOOLOGY: (n) The study of animal life (See: "Frat boys at Homecoming")

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