November, 2010
29
Nov 10
Tea Design: Course of the Week
Do you like tea? But, REALLY like tea? Do you give it a sniff and a swish, pretending its wine, while guessing the flavors and origins? Well if so, this week´s Course-of-the-Week may be just for you. A “tea designer” is someone with the artful knowledge of blending and creating tasty tea infusions. Tea blends may include, but are not limited to, spices, flowers, leaves, fruits and chocolates.
Legend has it that around 2737 BC Emperor Shen Nung was resting next to a wild tea tree, when a slight breeze stirred the branches of the tree, causing some leaves to fall into the water that he was boiling. The resulting infusion seemed delightfully refreshing and restorative, and that’s how tea was discovered.
This weeks course is offered at the Escuela Argentina de Tea, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is aimed at the general public (so you do not need prior tea knowledge) and offers a certificate of completion.
Enjoy.
18
Nov 10
China to Become the World´s Largest English-Speaking Country
Fourth-grade chinese students learn english in a primary school in Wuhan, central China November 2, 2009 Photo: China Daily
Soon China, the world’s most populous country, may become the world’s largest english-speaking country. Around 2 billion people learn english worldwide and a huge portion is made up by chinese as 200m to 350m chinese are either studying or speaking english. The english language market has nearly doubled in size over the past five years, and english education in China is continuing to spread. There are already 50,000 private english institutes throughout China with more and more opening up every month.
In the eight larges cities, 55.4 percent of the chinese have received english training, with another 21.2 percent saying that they planned to, according to the Social Survey Institute of China.
Other more affordable sources of english training are also gaining popularity. Skype-lessons with overseas teachers are becoming more available, as well as private foreign and chinese tutors.
A growing number of chinese students head to the United States to study at american universities. The total number of students who studied abroad increased from 144,000 in 2007 to 170,000 in 2008 and is expected to extend to 200,000 this year.
Educaedu plans on launching a chinese site within a few weeks. Soon, chinese students will be able to browse for educational programs in China as well as in 20 other countries around the world.
Source: Telegraph.co.uk and Chinadaily.com.cn
15
Nov 10
Speed Reading – Course of The Week
Are you an efficient reader? Whether it be reading for school, work or pleasure, most of us wish we could read at a higher velocity while maintaining a high level of comprehension. If you feel you’re a slow reader, you read a lot on-screen or you are overwhelmed with all you have to read, we recommend taking a speed reading course!
Freedom Personal Development in Wisconsin, USA is convinced that reading training that we all receive in elementary school is appropriate for young readers but not for adults. Reading habits that we acquired in our school years doesn’t work well when it comes to processing loads of printed information every day. The Reading Smart Workshop might be a good choice for those who want to learn time-saving strategies to read faster, comprehend more, concentrate better and retain with greater ease.
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA – offers Speed Reading and Study Strategies Program tailored for college and university students. The aim of this program is to double your reading speed in textbooks, and triple your speed in easier reading materials. You will learn how to concentrate better and remember more, even though you are reading on paper or on-screen much faster. The course brochure promises that you will learn the best way to study textbooks, take notes, prepare for tests and develop your vocabulary.
How fast did you read this post?
8
Nov 10
Motorsports Engineering – Course of the Week
Who doesn’t admire the cutting-edge technology and sophisticated design of Formula 1 race cars? The fastest race in the world represents innovation, superlative performance and style. There are thousands of people involved in creating the show – from vehicle and engine designers, vehicle and engine testers, motorsports race-event managers and race-crew management. The number of mechanics in one race exceeds 6,000!
There are various career opportunities for those interested in high performance vehicles:
The Old Dominion University in Virginia, U.S. offers Bachelor in Motorsports Engineering Technology. This program involves conventional lectures in classrooms and practice in laboratory facilities, including the driving simulator and chassis dynamometer. Motorsports Engineering program consists of such courses as: Ground Vehicle Aerodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Race Car Performance, and High Performance Piston Engines.
The Master in Science Racing Engine Design in Oxford Brookes University is offered in the UK. This program provides exposure to design, simulation, modelling and analysis of performance road cars, through rally, IRL, Kart and F3 right up to F1. The analysis elements of the modules include structural optimization, dynamics, engine performance and tuning.
Auto racing is not only an entertainment event, but also a real opportunity to test vehicles, their power, safety and aerodynamics in extreme conditions.
Formula 1 Technology facts:
6,000 – the number of Mechanics in one race
100º F – temperature of tires when it is driven
600 kg– weight of the machine with driver
10 million USD - the presumed value of a machine
4
Nov 10
Generation M2 – Teens Addicted to Social Media?
Recent research by The Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that 8-18 year-old Americans spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) using entertainment media daily.
It is mainly linked to the increase in use of mobile devices among youth: from 39% to 66% for cell phones, and from 18% to 76% for iPods and other MP3 players over the past 5 years. In fact, today kids spend more time texting, listening to music, playing games and watching TV on their mobiles than actually talking on them. They use their cell phones constantly, from texting to tweeting to updating their social media profiles like facebook. American teens send as many as 100 texts per day.
The Kaiser study also found that the more time kids spend with media, the poorer their grades and levels of personal satisfaction. Heavy media users spend more than 16 hours a day using some form of social media. An overuse of media has become a social concern, and some believe that it is becoming one of the biggest non-drug addictions of the 21st century.
The full report: Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, the large-scale survey about young people’s media use, can be found here.
1
Nov 10
Make-Up Artist – Course of the Week
Bobbi Brown for Erin Fetherston Make-up
Make-up artists apply makeup to models, actors and other stage performers, as well as brides and other clients for special occasions. Professional make-up artists must understand and interpret make-up expectations of clients and to produce accurate visual result. This field also can include designing wigs, using makeup to produce visual effects such as aging, illness, scars and bruising – very often under time-pressure.
There are various schools where you can study:
The London School of Beauty & Make-up offers Course – IMA Foundation /Fashion / Photographic / Media Make-up Diploma where supervised by a professional make-up artists you can create your own looks. These skills come into practice in a professional photo shoot using a model with clothes supplied by leading British Designers. These pictures will help to build a portfolio.
The part-time Esthetics Ontario College Certificate awarded by the Conestoga College in Canada offers a 39-hour professional make-up course. Topics of study include day, night and special occasions make-up, shading, contouring, colour analysis and product knowledge.
A Certificate IV in Make-up at the Chisholm Institute of TAFE in Dandenong Campus, Australia will prepare you to apply Period Make-up and Body Painting. You will also learn the difference between special effects, film and television make-up, as well as make-up for production.
Practice at home and apply makeup on various face shapes, eye shapes, skin colors, eye colors, and ages. Try different professional make- up products and sketch your looks. You can share your ideas on youtube and ask other amateur make-up artist to comment your work. That is a mean smoky eye…
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