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I am in Grade 9. In the International Baccalaureate (IB) system, it is necessary to have one science subject as part of your course. I am told biology is a subject where it is easy to achieve a high score but I have no plans to pursue a career that involves biology. Instead, I would like to do physics or chemistry, which I find more challenging. I am keen to do my undergrad at a US university. Please advise.
Priya Babel, Dubai 

Many college enrolment officers are consistently answering the question: What can college graduates do with a liberal arts degree? The answer is anything he or she wants to. A liberal arts degree gives a well-rounded education and offers graduates more flexibility when it comes to switching careers. As the degree gives you a broader base of knowledge and helps develop critical thinking skills, many companies value the benefits of employing a person who has such a qualification. Top US colleges tend to look at various aspects of a student’s application, transcripts – grades – being the most important, followed by your SAT scores, essays and extracurricular activities. So choose the subject you feel you will excel in.

My son, who is in Grade 11, wants to pursue a carrier in automotive engineering. He wants to study automotive engineering in Canada after Grade 12. What are the requirements he has to meet in order to take up the course? Also, what are the career prospects in this area?
Maria Goretti, Dubai 

Bachelor of Engineering, also known as BE or BEng, is awarded to students after four years of undergraduate studies at universities in Canada. The student would choose a certain field, for example automotive engineering.

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If your son is keen to study automotive engineering he will need to have a solid foundation in mathematics and science.

Automotive engineering is a vast market and if you take a look at all the different brands of cars or trucks on the market and the new designs that come out every year it should give you an idea of the scope of his chosen career. Automotive engineers design all the features in cars that you might overlook, like air bags, etc. As the demand for eco-friendly automobiles increases, more companies are looking at ways to design vehicles to save fuel and be more efficient. An automotive engineer’s job is to look into all the components that are put together in a vehicle and test them. They are the people who conduct crash tests and gather all the data.

Graduates can work in an assortment of careers, such as emissions research or controller, performance engineer, safety engineering, vehicle manufacturing engineer, etc.

The automotive industry is growing and despite the slow growth in automotive manufacturing, there will always remain a high demand for skilled automotive engineers. A few related careers could be aerodynamics engineer, environment engineer, body engineer etc.

Ask me a question…

Verma began his career with Ernst & Young before moving on to set up the Gulf operations of IDP Education Pty. He now leads Intelligent Partners in Dubai developing a wide range of solutions in areas of international education. You can ask him a question by emailing friday@gulfnews.com

Originally Published On: gulfnews.com – Original Article Here

Eskadenia Software held a special half-day session for schools ” ESKA Academia Event” to learn more about the latest smart and integrated software modules in the educational field on Wednesday 15 June 2011, in Grand Hyatt Amman.

The session was attended by many of the Eskadenia clients including managers and administrators of schools and specialists in the programming field and information technology. Discussion also centered on best solutions and presentations made on educational programming portfolios.

Eskadenia Executive Partner Mrs. Doha Abdelkhaleq said: “This event is in appreciation of our current clients, schools and managers for their cooperation with the company over many years and support for local programmers, emphasizing Eskadenia will strive to present the best services and programming solutions appropriate to the needs of the local community.”

Afterwards there were presentations for each of the attendees on ESKA Academia, latest integrated software modules presented by Eskadenia in a demo session lasting six hours with intermission and a continuation on the explanation of services with a dinner reception for all the attendees.

Abdel Khaleq continued that ESKA® Academia system was created after a long re-search by a group of young educated Jordanians who realized the needs of the Jordanian market and developed this system for a school management that would provide leadership and be in the forefront of technological progress.

Originally Published On: www.ameinfo.com – Original Article Here

After the thunder and lightning of the tuition fees battle, this future vision of higher education in England is an attempt to change the mood music.

Instead of images of riot police and pitched battles in Westminster, this higher education White Paper puts the government on the side of the student.

It's a way of turning the searchlights away from the political difficulties of tuition fees and budget cuts and training them on universities instead.

Consumer rights are being showcased. The market economy in higher education will mean students have to be treated as valued customers. Because, after all, they're paying the bill. As it says in the White Paper's title: Students at the Heart of the System.

If universities insist on charging the £9,000 maximum tuition fees, the government is saying, students can demand value for money. What are the job prospects? Where is the new gym equipment?

And if the traditional universities are too expensive or too inflexible, then the government is ready to usher in a new breed of private providers, ready to break up the cosy insularity of the old order.

Even the title of "university", long guarded as an academic crown jewel, is going to be put under review.

But is the "customer is always right" the best starting point for a university system?

University leaders are sounding underwhelmed about the way competition is going to work for student places.

They've already had to accept that the withdrawal of teaching budgets will mean the future viability of courses will depend on the fees paid by students.

This has raised concerns about instilling instability rather than competitive energy. If a subject falls out of fashion for a couple of years, should be it be abandoned? University departments can't be turned on and off like a tap.

And now they've been told that a quarter of places will be up for grabs.

Those at the top will be fighting for the high-flying students with grades AAB at A-level. And there will be another bidding war based on price – with about 8% of the remaining places to be for institutions charging less than £7,500 per year.

Both the Russell Group, representing the most prestigious universities, and the Million+ group representing the new universities, are warning of unintended consequences from these attempts to push down prices and make universities compete.

Rather than wanting to compete for extra places, some university leaders talk privately about retreating to a smaller number of subject areas where they know they can attract a reliable number of students.

It's a move from the supermarket to the boutique.

There is also disquiet that pressure to encourage cheaper providers into the market, and lower the average fee cost, will have a disproportionate impact on some universities.

The overall number of places is going to remain constant, but opening up a quarter to competition means that someone is going to lose out.

Labour politicians have argued that the undeclared driving force of the White Paper is the need to create a mechanism that pushes down fee prices, when so many universities want to charge the maximum – which Labour says the government can't afford.

The 1994 Group, representing research-intensive universities, warned that the emphasis on student choice and lower-price providers left universities still uncertain about the future of much of their work.

The group wanted to know where the details were on research and postgraduate students.

After the political train crash of the tuition fees for the Liberal Democrats, the coalition partners have been keen to emphasise the importance of social mobility.

It's a phrase that seems to get tagged onto every official statement about universities.

But in this White Paper, the balance seems to have been firmly tilted away from the social mobility side of the debate. Apart from a possible strengthening of the Office for Fair Access, there is little that's new.

Even the prospect of students applying after they receive their grades – once expected to be part of this White Paper – has been kicked into the long grass for future discussion.

The Bridge Group think-tank, which recently launched its campaign for social mobility through higher education with a speech from Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg, warned that the plans would have a "negative impact" on social mobility.

Meanwhile, a couple of free-market touchstones – allowing students to make early repayments on loans and extra places for individuals sponsored by private businesses and charities – both make an appearance in the White Paper.

But what will it mean for students?

Universities will be keener than ever to attract their applications – and students will have much clearer information to help guide them through their decisions.

The freeing up of places also begins the process of questioning the idea that places at top institutions should be rationed.

It challenges the idea, deep-rooted in schools and universities, that good things are only ever available in small measures.

Why shouldn't talented youngsters be able to learn in institutions that reflect their potential and ability?

But these students will also be acutely aware that they will be paying three times as much as those studying at the same universities in the years before them. As student leaders have observed, it's consumer power with a hefty price tag.

There is also another often unspoken cultural change accompanying the idea of a consumer-driven university system.

Universities want to be places of ideas, ideals and academic excellence, but they also need to attract young people willing and able to pay up to £9,000 per year, plus accommodation and living expenses.

Are universities going to be trading in lifestyle and leisure experiences as much as the old-fashioned currency of learning? No one wants to see universities end up as expensive academic theme parks.

This White Paper promises to put the students into the driving seat of higher education – but it can't control where they are going to take it.

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here

Los Angeles: Vanessa Perez was a homework scofflaw. The Marshall High School senior didn’t finish all of it — largely because she worked 24 hours a week at a Subway sandwich shop. Alvaro Ramirez, a junior at the Santee Education Complex, doesn’t have his own room and his mother babysits young children at night.

"They’re always there and they’re always loud," he said, explaining his challenges with homework. The Los Angeles Unified School District has decided to give students like these a break.

A new policy decrees that homework can count for only 10 per cent of a student’s grade. Critics — mostly teachers — worry that the policy will encourage students to slack off assigned work and even reward those who already disregard assignments. And they say it could penalise hard-working students who receive higher marks for effort.

National trend

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Some educators also object to a one-size-fits-all mandate that they said could hamstring teaching or homogenise it. They say, too, that students who do their homework perform significantly better than those who don’t — a view supported by research.

But Los Angeles Unified is pressing forward, joining a growing list of school districts across the country that are taking on homework — including Fontana, California, and Pleasanton, New Jersey. In many districts, limits are being placed on the amount of homework so students can spend more time with their families or pursue extracurricular activities such as sports or hobbies.

The competition to get into top colleges has left students anxious and exhausted, with little free time, parents complain. In Davis, California, a policy that took effect this year specifies homework maximums, with some exceptions for advanced courses.

And it prohibits assigning homework over weekends and holidays while also addressing the quality of the assignments. That effort, and others, aligns with national trends and widely accepted research. A good thumbnail is ten minutes per day multiplied by the grade of the student, said Duke University professor Harris Cooper.

So a sixth-grader should be able to handle 60 minutes. Cooper said homework patterns have followed 30-year cycles: the Soviets’ launch of Sputnik in 1957, for example, also launched a crusade in the US to increase homework.

The trend is now swinging against more-is-better. The Los Angeles approach is intended to account for the myriad urban problems facing the district’s mostly low-income, minority population.

The homework change accompanies another policy being tested: More than three dozen campuses are experimenting with boosting a student’s grade for improved performance on state standardised tests.

Originally Published On: gulfnews.com – Original Article Here

Hundreds more Britons went to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s than had previously been thought, newly released files show.

MI5 recorded the names of about 4,000 people from Britain and Ireland suspected of travelling to join the war, National Archives files show.

The previous estimate stood at about 2,500. Many volunteers were communists and of interest to MI5.

One name on the list is Eric Blair, better known as author George Orwell.

His experiences in the Spanish Civil War were documented in his book Homage to Catalonia.

The details of those who had joined the fight against General Franco's forces between 1936 and 1939 continued to be updated by security service MI5 up until the mid-1950s.

The record for Orwell covers the period in which he published the bestselling novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, until his death in January 1950.

The files, which can be downloaded free for a month, comprise more than 200 pages detailing the movements of the men and women who left British ports for the Spanish front line – as well as a "roll of honour" of some of those killed in action.

James Cronan, the National Archives' diplomatic and colonial records specialist, said it was not clear how many of those who left actually reached Spain, but he added that "we know that hundreds never returned".

"The International Brigades brought volunteers together from all over the world in defence of democracy but few, if any, records exist of their service," he said. "That's why uncovering a document like this is so exciting."

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the start of the war in July 1936.

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here

For past quizzes including our weekly news quiz, 7 days 7 questions, expand the grey drop-down below – also available on the Magazine page (and scroll down).

Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here

OSLO (Reuters) – Opera Software’s founder and top owner Jon von Tetzchner is leaving the company, but will hold on to his stake of about 12.3 percent, he told Reuters on Monday.

“I’m probably more ambitious and would like to move faster in all areas than the board and the current management do,” he said. “I have no plans to sell or reduce my Opera stake.”

Jon von Tetzchner was Opera’s chief executive from its creation in 1995 until 2010.

Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here

Classic styles with a relaxed feel permeated Milan runways on Sunday, the second day of menswear previews for next spring and summer.

Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo and Emporio Armani showed updated versions of the well-tailored summer silhouette, easy to wear and easy to pack.

Bottega Veneta and Armani both played with layers and ultralight fabrics. Ferragamo trotted out well-worn raffia hats and derby shoes, echoing a 1930s artistic look, and high-waisted trousers that are emerging as a trend for next summer.

Less beholden to tradition were Prada and Vivienne Westwood. Minimalist Prada allowed herself to have fun, seeking inspiration in golf, of all things. What emerges is a colourful, upbeat pastiche that works on and off the golf course.

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Britain’s Vivienne Westwood, thinking ahead to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, presented whacky T-shirts printed with Olympic icons, fanciful laurel wreaths and golden Greek sandals.

Prada: Golf inspired Prada’s collection.

The motif, designer Miuccia Prada said, allowed her to merge ideas and cultures.

The collection was perfectly balanced, featuring whimsical comic book figures on shirts, trousers and jackets. Some trousers showed a miniature golfing tableau. A jacket was printed with musical figures.

The backbone of the collection came in the well-tailored jackets, trousers and sweaters in neutral colours that became the blank canvas for Prada’s whimsy.

Ferragamo

Massimiliano Giornetti, the new creative director for the steeped-in-tradition Ferragamo label, inspired by the compelling nonchalance of a 1930s artist — Pablo Picasso fits the picture — creates a wardrobe which is elegant but never stuffy.

His summer man sports a double-breasted suit with a shirt in the same material and high-waisted trousers with pleats. He strolls through life wearing a frayed raffia hat, vintage shades, and classic Derby shoes that allow him to escape into his romantic world.

Bottega Veneta

Though dressed in rumpled suits and clutching soft colourful leather bags, the Bottega Veneta man is no slouch.

The collection contained pattern upon pattern in light, easy-to-wear fabrics that give the impression of endless possibilities, including business meeting, pool-side party, or a seaside dash. Colours were deep tourmaline blue, chocolate and indigo, set off by pewter or beige.

Suits with mandarin collars and short waistbands give the appearance of a single piece, in another era a jump suit. Think airplane mechanic, first class.

Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood is gearing up for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

T-shirts were emblazoned with gold-embossed Olympic torches, iconic Greek athletic figures and printed Olympic medals draped around the neckline. They were worn with shorts, in pinstripes or Union Jack red, white and blue, with golden Greco-style sandals or bright red penny-loafers accompanied by knee-socks.

Emporio Armani

The Emporio Armani collection was titled Lightness. It could just as aptly have been called Motion.

From the double-darted trousers, to the thin ties, the long loopy belts, the lightweight T-shirts and the long, open jackets, everything flowed in a gentle whisper.

Suits were layered with loose-knit cardigans on top of ultra-light T-shirts. Loose long jackets were nearly see-through. The colour scheme was sober and neutral in greys, putty and blue. Missing from the runway: shorts.

Originally Published On: gulfnews.com – Original Article Here

Keeping regular make-up from melting during the hot months is a challenge. For this reason many women don’t even think about getting adventurous with cosmetics during summer. But with a bit of help from an expert, it is possible to try out dramatic new looks. Gulnoza, Inglot’s Dubai-based make-up trainer, shares her secrets to exciting make-up even when the mercury is soaring. 

Eyes

White is an easy-to-wear summer colour in fashion but when it comes to make-up, it’s a huge challenge. How can one wear white eye make-up?

White eyeliner pencils and eyeshadows are refreshing options for summer. But there are rules for wearing both. White eyeliner, if worn alone, gives the eyes a vacant look, which is why international make-up artists are now teaming white with another colour and creating the "double liner" effect. You can do that yourself by first defining the upper eyelid with black or any dark eyeliner and then enhancing it with white eyeliner.

As far as white eyeshadow goes, it looks very trendy when worn just a little along the lash line. Dark-skinned women can also wear it this way. However, teaming white eyeshadow with a white eyeliner is a no-no. You can wear a white eyeliner to contrast with a deeper eyeshadow if you wish. But the trendiest way to wear white eyeliner, in double effect, is on bare lids with no eyeshadow. 

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Can one wear false eyelashes in summer without making the eyes look overdressed?

Although many women stay away from false lashes in day-to-day life as they consider them frivolous, I can tell you that false eyelashes accentuate a woman’s beauty. In fact this is Kim Kardashian’s little beauty secret. Wear false lashes, do some face contouring and that’s it! Once you have pretty lashes, you can do away with make-up and still look beautiful as lush lashes make the eyes appear more almond-shaped. 

Are pop colour eyeshadows a no-no in this heat?

They are one of the biggest make-up trends this season. Pick a bold colour like green or orange and wear it as a single colour over the eyelids. The other way is to flaunt the colour along the lash lines. Do not blend the colour up to the brow bone. Pick either the matte or the lightly frosted versions in any bright colours. The texture doesn’t matter much as long as you don’t wear it with gold sparkles during daytime. After that, define the eyes with an eyeliner, in a contrasting or matching shade. 

Can one wear frosty eyeshadows in summer?

Frosty eyeshadows in pink, peach and beige are perfect for evening wear in summer. For daytime, pink is perhaps the only colour that can be sparingly worn. Women with small eyes benefit the most from frosty colours as they make the eyes look bigger. Frosty eyeshadow can also be used to create the illusion of more space between the brow bone and the eyelids. Make sure your blush is matte. 

What about metallic eyeshadows?

Gold looks nice on the eyelids, but since it’s an attention-drawing colour, use it only for night-time make-up. When wearing gold, dress up your eyes for maximum impact. A clean, strong line of black eyeliner and lots of mascara and false lashes will look smashing with gold. If you insist on sparkle during daytime, choose bronze for the eyelids since it’s a bit more earthy and subtle than gold. 

Black liquid eyeliner or soft black eye pencil, which is better?

For summer, it should be black eyeliner in a liquid gel version. To counter humidity, choose a waterproof formula in a matte texture. 

Cheeks

Shimmery terracotta for the cheeks in summer?

Yes, provided it is used in evening make-up. To wear it well, prep the face with a moisturiser and apply a bronzer along the cheekbones and the T-zone. Wear strong black eye make-up and finish with a natural lipstick or gloss. Also, mix a bit of your bronzing powder/gel with your body moisturiser and apply it on the arms and the legs. 

Summer brings along a profusion of peach blushes and lipsticks. Why?

Warm peach tones help refresh a tired complexion, that’s why. If you still want to follow the old rule of matching your blush with your lipstick family it’s up to you, but the new trend is to move out of the family. This means if you’re wearing peach blush, you can pick a pink lipstick and vice versa. 

Lips

How can one wear a red shade of lipstick in summer without setting off style red alerts?

Vibrant lipsticks are a prominent trend for the whole of 2011. In summer, pick a bright red, fuschia or orange lipstick in a matte texture. You can team red lipstick with nude eyes and mascara, clear skin, and a fresh natural blush. The look is all about statement lips, therefore for daytime wear, don’t overdo the eye make-up. In the evening you can team red lips with gold eyeshadow. 

What are the rules for wearing coloured lipglosses?

It’s quite an art to keep your gloss from melting during the hot summer months. The trick is to first prep the lips with a long-wearing matte, waterproof lipstick or lip pencil and then apply the gloss only on the centre of the lips. 

Should you wear clear gloss if you have dark, spotted lips?

Spotted and unevenly coloured lips are common problems affecting many women. To combat this, before wearing your lipgloss or lipstick, pick a matte lipliner one to two shades darker than your lips and fill in the lip surface. Then blot the lips a little and apply clear gloss. 

Nails

Are there any new rules to wearing pop colours on nails?

The nails are short and square this season. The rule was to wear the same nail colour on the feet and hands, but now it is also trendy to wear funky combinations on hands and feet. For example, go for apple green on the hands and yellow on the feet – it looks fabulous!

Originally Published On: gulfnews.com – Original Article Here

The world’s second largest reinsurance company, Swiss Reinsurance, calculated that insured losses from natural catastrophes plus man-made disasters so far in 2010 totalled $36bn. This represents a 34% increase based on the total loss for 2009. It is estimated that economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters totaled $222bn this year, up approximately threefold from 2009.

According to Swiss Re, natural catastrophes cost the insurance industry around $31bn, while man-made disasters caused claims of $5bn.

In the first 11 months of this year, eight events caused insured losses of more than $1bn. The costliest event for insurers was the earthquake which struck Chile in February. Estimated insured loss: $8 bn.

Another disaster in the Mexican Gulf region concerning the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in April this year, is expected to result in insured losses of $1bn. According to Swiss Re, there is still uncertainty about the eventual loss, because the complexity of the claims.

For instance, Swiss Re has not included liability claims in its loss figures. Although the Haiti earthquake in January caused the largest death toll of 222,570 lives, insured losses were minimal.

Despite significant higher than average earthquake losses, overall claims this year were in line with the 20-year average due to unusually modest hurricane losses in the United States. However, the Swiss Reinsurer stated that the total cost of natural catastrophes this year may increase further because of the ongoing European winter storm season.

Regarding catastrophes as mentioned above, a step to catastrophe bonds, or cat bonds, is made easily. These are risk-linked securities which transfer a specified set of risks from a sponsor to investors. These are often structured as floating rate bonds, in which principal is lost if specified trigger conditions are met. If the cat bond is triggered, the principal is paid to the sponsor by the buyers of these bonds. Triggers are typically linked to major natural catastrophes like hurricanes, earth quakes and other disasters.

Sponsors (issuers) of cat bonds can choose how the principal impairment is triggered, varying from indemnity (actual losses) to parametric (indexed). A parametric based cat bond is, for instance, triggered by wind speed in case of a hurricane bond. Earthquake bonds could be triggered if a certain ground acceleration takes place.

Cat bonds are typically used by insurers as an alternative to diversify/transfer its risk to other parties. Categories of investors participating in this market include for hedge funds, specialized catastrophe-oriented funds, and asset managers. Also life insurers, reinsurers, banks, pension funds, and other investors (with deep pockets) have can participate in offerings. Participants are able to diversify its portfolio to be less dependent of for instance the stock, bond and commodity markets.

To give an impression of the cat bond market: in 2007 approximately $5bn of cat bonds has been issued. In 2008 the total amount of catastrophe bonds was almost $3bn, last year 2009 approximately $1.4bn. In the three quarters of this year, more than $2.5bn of cat bonds has been issued. The ‘ledger’ of the last quarter of 2010 is still counting, heading towards the level of issuances in the year 2008.

Originally Published On: www.ameinfo.com – Original Article Here