Barack Obama Closing School as Education in the US is Self

It doesn't take an engineer of the private space industry to figure out that we have a problem with education in the US and whereas, it isn't as bad as folks claim, it's also not as good as it could be either. So, rather than condemning our schools, laying off teachers, and closing some perhaps we need to re-think our schools going forward in the age of instant information. Is the Obama Administration doing that? Well, they are trying, I can agree with that.
For instance they have established a research arm for education modeled after DARPA Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, and why not, it's worked for the Intelligence Agencies with IARPA and for the DOE with ARPA-E ("E" for energy), so there is no doubt it will work too to assist in education. Still, we need to expedite these new technologies if we are to save our schools, otherwise they will fall behind the needs of this future generation of leaders. After all, a nation is only as strong as it's schools were 20-years the prior right? I think we can all agree with that as well.
Not long ago, an acquaintance mentioned to me after reading an article in "Yahoo! News" titled "Barack H. Obama Elementary to close" and she stated who knows; "Maybe this is a good sign of the future of the anointed one. Close the school named after him and closes his chances of impressing anyone in the future with his political nothingness." As we discussed the irony of this situation, she lamented that although this is surely a coincidence it is also a foreshadowing of things to come with President Obama's legacy, chances for re-election, and promises for hope and change.
Indeed, I thought about the closing of this school, and the many others around our nations, perhaps for budget cuts, or due to lack of performance, and I thought, yes, we have problems and challenges in education. And yes, this particular school closing, well, it's part of a major round of budget cuts, but you have to admit it is a nice piece for the news, due to the fact it is rather ironic, as Barak H. Obama has been so adamant about the need for education and his fever in devising a plan to fix it, using the (purported) greatest minds in academia to devise a plan.
In fact, I thanked my acquaintance for sending me this news, and our follow-up dialogues and said; "I think I'll do an article on this. Thanks," which led me to write this piece. Still, it's all part of a much bigger picture isn't it? Sure it is, we have a terrible problem with education in this country and nothing really seems to be working - and I think everyone knows it too. Yes, this is a controversial topic, but it is one we discuss rather often at our think tank. So, sound off with any comments, questions, and or concerns you might have in this venue. Think on it.

College Education Can Prepare Students for a Brave, New World in Journalism

The journalism profession was thrust into the spotlight in recent days. A homeless man may have gotten his big break in the radio industry, while a popular columnist and on-air personality in revealed that he was gay.
Ted Williams, a 53-year-old homeless man from Ohio, achieved overnight fame when a YouTube video of him boasting his rich vocal skills went viral. Within a few days, he has appeared on national television and has fielded several job offers, including a full-time gig with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Thursday, longtime Boston Herald sports reporter Steve Buckley announced that he was gay in a column. Buckley, who also regularly appears on Boston's WEEI sports radio station, is one of the first well-known sports journalists to come out of the closet.
The recent news stories show just how diverse the journalism world is, and proves that talent - not socioeconomic background or lifestyle choices - can lead to a promising career. Thousands of students at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. are pursuing education in TV, print, radio and online journalism. Some schools offer concentrations in these fields, while many large institutions own their own newspapers, radio and television stations, which allow students to gain experience outside of college classes.
The journalism industry has drastically changed in recent years, as the emergence of social media and online news sources has hit more traditional mediums such as the newspaper and radio. In his commencement speech at the University of Michigan last spring, President Barack Obama said that is important - now more than ever - that future journalists uphold the ethics that they acquired throughout their college education.
"Today's 24-7 echo chamber amplifies the most inflammatory soundbites louder and faster than ever before," Obama said, quoted by The Huffington Post. "This development can be both good and bad for democracy. For if we choose only to expose ourselves to opinions and viewpoints that are in line with our own, studies suggest that we will become more polarized and set in our ways. And that will only reinforce and even deepen the political divides in this country."
Students who are skilled in these fields may consider pursuing freelancing opportunities or internships, which could help defray education costs. At some schools, internships and certain work experiences count toward college credits.

Deployed Troops Have Online Educational Opportunities

According to Georgia-based newspaper The Times-Herald, Army specialist William Ward is pursuing a criminal justice degree online while stationed in Iraq. Ward, a wheeled vehicle mechanic, has completed 28 of a 67-credit associate's degree program. He told the news provider that he expects to be halfway finished with the requirements by the end of his Army tenure, of which he has three more years.
Ward, who is enrolled in a web-based college out of Texas, was an electrician before joining the Army. He decided he wanted a new challenge, and now his ultimate goal is to become a police officer.
Many distance learning institutions offer online bachelor's degree education that is catered to members of the armed forces. According to The News-Leader, a community college in Missouri recently reached an agreement with a four-year university in Maryland that allows associate's degree recipients to transfer their credits and pursue the bachelor's degree through the larger school's online program.
The junior college's president said that the main focus of the agreement was to better accommodate military personnel, who can be deployed at any time. Students who are stationed overseas have many different career paths, such as pursuing a general business degree online or enrolling in human resource management courses. Soldiers who are interested in continuing their quest to protect Americans from outside threats may consider a cyber crime justice degree online.
And it's not just male soldiers who are taking advantage of distance learning opportunities. According to ABC news affiliate KCRG 9, Army specialist Emily Keating is studying to become a personal trainer while she is stationed in Afghanistan. She told the news source that her military schedule is conducive to academic success because she works better on a strict deadline.
Keating added that apart from the weapons, the military is not that different from a college setting in terms of camaraderie. Just like a graduate returning from college, Keating hopes to return to America with plenty of job prospects.
While they may be thousands of miles from a college campus, deployed military personnel can still follow their dreams while helping preserve freedom. At the very least, some individuals can at least take the first steps toward a promising career. Many general education classes are available for those who wish to earn a degree in teaching.
Soldiers who are computer-savvy may consider enrolling in e-commerce training.

Middle School Students Take an Educational Tour of Georgia

Recently, I worked with Cathy Carlton, a Social Studies teacher for Bennett's Mill Middle School in Fayetteville, Georgia, to create an itinerary for a class trip that encompassed historical highlights of the state of Georgia. Her class on Georgia history spans an entire school year. The class begins with the prehistoric Indians and continues with Colonial studies, a close look at the American Revolution, the antebellum period and Civil War. Studies also include a consideration of the impact of modern wars, a look at regions of Georgia and economics that thrive in them, and the way entrepreneurs have impacted life in the state.

An Educational Tour of Georgia in Sync with Curriculum Objectives
In previous years, Carlton took the student travel group to Savannah for three days and two nights. This year, she found it more economical to limit the trip to two days and one night, so more students could afford to attend. But saving money was not the only motivation to create this unique tour. "I felt like this trip was much more meaningful because we were able to visit many more sites around the state," noted Carlton.

Students Travel to Different Sites Across the State of Georgia
Some highlights of the tour included a visit to Milledgeville, Georgia, the first capital of the state, a tour of Andersonville Prison, where prisoners of war were housed during the Civil War, and a tour of CNN Studios in Atlanta, where students were able to see how television news is produced. In Atlanta, students also visited the Governor's Mansion as well as The Bremen Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum and Oakland Cemetery, where famous Georgians were interred.

The first stop on the tour was Andersonville Prison, a two-hour bus ride from the group's hometown. Carlton wanted students to see this National Historic Site, because it tied in with their classroom studies of the Civil War and modern wars. Students toured the site and gained a better understanding of the place where Northern soldiers were detained and housed during the Civil War. They were also engaged in learning about the dynamics of prisoners of war, and how it affects our society as a whole.

A Student Tour of Milledgeville: Georgia's First Capital City
The visit to Millledgeville seemed especially important to Carlton, as it tied in nicely with her curriculum and gave students a chance to actually see the grandeur of the historic capital. Carlton said, "Students were really impressed by the fact that the capital began there. It was eventually moved to Atlanta so it could be more centrally located. We were able to visit the Old Capitol Building, but we missed our tour of the Governor's Mansion there, because we were running a little late, having spent more time at Andersonville then we anticipated."

Educational Trip to Atlanta Includes Multiple Destinations
When the student tour group reached Atlanta, they took a break to eat supper at the Hard Rock Café, then toured Oakland Cemetery, where Bobby Jones, Maynard Jackson and Margaret Mitchell are buried. "The guided tours of Oakland Cemetery included the graves of these famous Georgians -- which were part of our studies -- and many other historical people as well," observed Carlton.

The educational tour group spent the evening at the Hampton Inn near the Perimeter Mall where breakfast was included the following morning. Their tour of Atlanta began with a look at the Governor's Mansion, where they actually saw Governor Perdue leaving the building that day. This was followed by lunch at the Varsity, a famous Atlanta landmark.

The afternoon was filled with a visit to the Bremen Holocaust Museum. Carlton was impressed with the tours given here, which were led by "survivors or family members of survivors. It was fascinating for students to hear what the holocaust was actually like. The group also viewed artifacts and videos of the holocaust."

The trip on Georgia history concluded with a tour of CNN Studios in Atlanta, founded by the famous entrepreneur Ted Turner, who also started the first television station in Georgia, TBS. The group of over 81 students was broken up into smaller groups for the studio tour, where they saw live news and also had a chance to glimpse the behind the scenes work involved in airing national news 24-hours per day. Carlton recalled, "Students were thrilled by seeing the live newscasters, because they recognized some of the people they've seen on television."

Educational Trip of Georgia was a Success!
Overall, creating a historical tour of Georgia was a positive experience for me and my staff. Usually, student tours are limited to the Atlanta metro area, because there are many educational sites to see in this city. After collaborating with Carlton on the creation of this custom tour, I can now see the benefits of widening the scope of destinations in Georgia. It provides students a larger view of Georgia's history because it includes landmarks that may be lesser known, but are equally important in understanding state history.

Student travel groups interested in touring Atlanta may want to consider including some of these prominent sites in their tour with visits to Milledgeville and Andersonville Prison included on their itinerary. Overall, students did not spend more than 3 ½ hours on the bus the first day, and they had plenty of stops to keep the travel time interesting.

Sources of Political News

What source do you use to get political news? Are you sure you are reading or watching an unbiased version of events? Recent polls suggest that most journalists tend to be liberal and thus are more likely to vote Democrats than Republicans. Depending on the individual or the network they work for, their private opinions can sometimes affect the quality of the news they broadcast.
It is a journalist's job to bring the news to the public but it should be presented without being influenced by their personal opinion. They are obliged to tell the truth and remain independent from the event being covered. This is fine in theory but in practice how often are the news people or the publications or networks they represent impartial?
Some people believe that political news is always biased depending on the source of the information. For example certain individuals will only believe what they hear on Fox news and not CNN, while others prefer CNN. Some people believe that Fox leans to the right while others maintain it just provides the news in a format that suits their listeners. At the end of the day, it is a matter of education. You should try to obtain information from a variety of sources so that you can form your own educated opinion on current events. Political news will often be controversial. Good news never sold newspapers or increased ratings!
But the people reporting political news should let the facts prove the point. They shouldn't be tempted to stretch the truth particularly if the reason for doing so is to improve ratings. But this is a theoretical argument. In a society where the news stations with better ratings are more successful and thus earn more money, it is probably unrealistic to expect them to remain totally impartial to events happening in political waters.

Become a TV News Producer

As a TV news producers you would have the job of creating TV news stories, and having them presented by anchor people and news reporters. The position required a lot of organization, data and fact collecting and tight deadlines. If you are good at leading people in a media environment becoming a TV news producer could be the thing for you. Here's a guide on what it takes to get you started.
Go to college or university. A good education is one of the most important aspects of this career. You will not have much chance of being a TV news producer without a degree or diploma. Only the best qualified people get this position. It is a good idea to specialize in media, journalism or film production. Having experience in any of all of these fields will be well regarded as there is no set qualification for this particular job.
The correct skills. Primarily you are a journalist when you are a TV news producer. list. The job entails seeking out news stories of interest to the TV viewing public - the same as a journalist. However, a TV news producer must then work with a number of other people - writers, reporters and anchors - to get the story to TV. So you will need some technical know-how in production, and in understanding how television shows are brought together.
Work experience. Education only goes so far. The hands-on experience in the TV industry will benefit you most and will be what employers are looking for on your résumé. So the best way to start if at all possible is to get a job as an intern. As long as it will get you some experience working in TV production, accept pretty much any internship that is offered. The same goes for a lower paying job in a production company. Alternatively, get a job as a news writer or news reporter first. Needless to say you need to have quite a bit of experience working in TV production or journalism before you apply for TV news producer jobs.
Apply for TV news producer jobs. This is considered a senior position, so you must know that you won't be able to get this job right from school. When you feel confident that you can take on the roles and responsibilities of a television news producer, due to your previous experience, apply to any jobs that are out there. There may be a job at the station you work at, so keep your good reputation in people's minds around the office. This will help move you on your path as a TV news producer.

Trading The News

News trading is a popular tactic that many Forex retail traders will try sometime in their trading careers. However, not many people are aware of what it takes to trade the news successfully.
What is news trading?
This involves the entering into trades just before, or immediately after the release of important economic news announcements. Traders 'trade the news' because market prices tend to move up on good news, and move down on bad news. Important announcements typically affect currency prices directly.
Why is news trading so popular?
The biggest reason for the popularity of news trading is the potential for large price movements in a very short period of time. Prices can move up to 100 pips (or more) in under a minute just after certain news is released.
The large profit potential is what lures most traders to take part in this form of trading. You can make a lot of money in a very short period of time.
But! News trading is dangerous
Indeed, with the large profit potential comes the possibility of a large loss. News trading is dangerous because if you're caught on the wrong side of a trade, you can lose money so quickly that you won't even have enough time to manually close your trades. Even stop loss orders are unreliable because of the high probability of slippage due to the sudden price surge.
Should you news trade?
Honesty, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless they're absolutely sure about what they're doing. Successful news trading requires one to first have superior (faster) news feeds and second to have uncanny reaction speeds to quickly enter your trades the moment news is announced.
Any other form of news trading such as placing limit orders either above or below the market price is simply guessing. And if you're guessing, you won't survive very long in the market.
My advice for most retail traders would be to avoid this form of trading altogether.