Author Archive
Thursday, October 5th, 2017
Could Las Vegas Have Been Prevented? Easy – by
Douglas W. Green, EdD explains how to avoid the kind of massacre that took place in Las Vegas.
Same Old Arguments
- About all I have heard since the Las Vegas massacre is arguments from the left and right about gun control. This is all pretty reflexive and you hear the same stuff after every mass shooting. I’m not saying that the gun control debate shouldn’t go on, but it would be nice if we could also hear a more creative analysis that takes the specifics into consideration.
Hundreds of Sniper Locations
- This massacre would be easy to prevent without any change in our gun laws. What made this possible was the fact that the concert venue had hundreds of sniper locations above the scene. Last week I saw Paul McCartney at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. There is no way anyone could get a gun in there let alone all the guns the shooter got into his hotel room.
- The lesson is, don’t set up a concert venue with so many potential sniper points above the concert that can be accessed by someone who doesn’t have to go through concert security. This isn’t difficult, but it’s up to the people who set up these concerts. I suspect the cost of setting up this outdoor concert venue with access to snipers was a lot less than the folks in Brooklyn paid for the billion-dollar Barclays Center.
Some Outdoor Venues are Safe
- Last month I attended a Bon Jovi concert down the street at Enjoy Golf Course in Endicott, NY. Like Las Vegas, it was an outdoor venue, but if you wanted to get in and take a seat in one of the high altitude skyboxes that could serve a sniper positions, you needed to get a gun in the door through the metal detectors and you wouldn’t be alone in your skybox.
- It should be easy to prevent this kind of mayhem if you avoid setting up concert venues that can be targeted by people in neighboring buildings without the ability to prevent people from getting guns to a room with a view of the concert.
How About the Hotel?
- There are two issues here. The first relates to the two windows that the shooter broke with a hammer prior to the shooting. These are windows like many hotels have that are not designed to be opened by tenants. If they aren’t designed to be opened, there should be some way to know when they are hammered open. This would involve some expense, but if the hotel equipped the windows with sensors, the people at the front desk would know which windows have been breached immediately.
- The other thing a hotel could do, if not today but probably in the future, is to use their cameras and a bit of artificial intelligence to spot someone coming in multiple times with loads of stuff. The guns and ammo that were brought into the room took several trips. He must have used some large containers that would have been easy to spot via video and/or alert people watching the lobby or the front door.
Housekeeping’s Role
- Finally, what about the people who were visiting the room on a daily basis? I think hotels should tell their staff to take a look in closets and drawers quickly as they are making the beds. If guests say they don’t want such service, a security staff member should be sent to take a quick look at the room each day. Steven Wynn says that anytime a do not disturb sign is up for 12 hours it is investigated. His housekeeping staff also looks around. See the New York Post for more on this.
- I send my prayers and sympathy to all of the people impacted by the terrible event. I also think that this particular type of massacre is easy to prevent. If you can, please do so. Also, don’t attend any outdoor events with line of sight to places people can access without going through concert security.
Posted in Doug's Original Work | Comments Off on Could Las Vegas Have Been Prevented? Easy – by Douglas W. Green, EdD
Sunday, August 27th, 2017
Eight Incredible Online Tools to Check Your Grammar by Paul Bates provides quick introductions to popular tools that can make almost anyone a better writer. From students to teachers, anyone who writes at all should check them out. Thanks, Paul.
Introduction
- The arduous days with traditional writing methodology have passed a long time ago as the technology has assisted the writing enthusiasts with many of powerful tools. The complete process of generating ideas to creatively designing and publishing books is now much simpler, faster, and cheaper. There is always a quest going on in the heads of the writers to find promising tools and gadgets that can help them write decent, eye-catchy content online. And the non-native speakers have always needed tools to help them write grammatically precise content. To dissolve all the misconceptions, here’s a list of popular grammar tools easily available online. Categorically, these can be rendered as Productivity and Organization, Editing and Proofreading, and Designing and Publishing.
1. Grammarly
- This most popular and prolific tool is available for free online. This tool proofreads your content in real time as you write and points outs grammatical, punctuation and style errors immediately. Among the highly demanding tools, Grammarly is the most reliable and user-friendly, which also comes with the contextual spelling checker and a sentence structure identifier. Its premium version offers the users superior functionality like plagiarism detection and professional proofreading. (Doug: I have been using this tool for a while and highly recommend it.)
2. Grammar Check.me
- This is a reliable and up-to-the-minute tool with the best intrusion free portal for grammar and spellchecking. It also imitates a few functionalities of Microsoft Word like indentation and numbering or bullets style. It provides a person with the ease to import documents in any format for a grammatical check up.
3. SpellChecker.net
- This is also a spelling checker that is available for free. The key quality of this tool is that it identifies minor grammatical errors providing a user with a high precision rate. Incredibly easy and quick editing functionalities make it highly demanded among the users.
4. Clean Writer Pro
- Looking for a distraction free tool to help you write like a pro? This tool can fulfill your needs in the best possible way. Furthermore, for the developers, it provides an efficient utility to convert a document to HTML so that you can post it to your blog or website immediately.
5. Ginger
- This is a sublime tool to correct punctuation and grammatical errors efficiently on the go. The mistakes in the content are carefully analyzed and are accurately replaced. It also imports articles for a detailed checkup before publishing. However, the user has to download a full version for a laptop/PC if the article is longer than the supported length allowed by the online version.
6. Online Correction.com
- Interactive design is the key to the success of an app or tool so in order to accomplish perfection Online Correction.com highlights the errors by category. The content is examined and the spelling errors are marked in red while the grammatical mistakes are highlighted in green. This helps the user to differentiate between the errors easily helping to avoid them in the future.
7. Language Tool
- To better serve the needs of every user this tool supports twenty different languages as well as all versions of English language. It provides the user with spellchecking, punctuation and indentation functionalities.
8. After The Deadline
- Automatic Corporation, the developers of WordPress, has created this tool to add an extra dimension to the writing world. It comes with many functionalities like add-ons and extensions. It supports easy handling of grammatical and punctuation errors with priority suggestions to make the writing process better. Its online version is very coherent if you don’t feel like installing the tool on a laptop to unleash its full functionality.
- There are many other tools available online that provide similar basic functionalities but the ones mentioned here are the most widely used by people throughout the world.
Solved end-to-end Data Science projects
Paul Bates
- Paul is a freelance writer from Dallas, TX. He’s an avid reader and during his free time writes summaries of different stories and novels. He has recently written the Chrysanthemums summary, a fascinating story by John Steinbeck.
Posted in Guest Posts | Comments Off on Eight Incredible Online Tools to Check Your Grammar by Paul Bates
Thursday, August 24th, 2017
I Want To Live/Study in Canada. What Are My Options? by Danielle Ward explains why you might want to consider heading North for your college education. Most Americans will find Canada an easy place to adapt to and an enjoyable environment to live in.
I Want To Live/Study in Canada. What Are My Options?
- Gone are the days when high-school graduates had limited options and courses to pursue in college. Today, freshmen can apply for foreign universities and courses in almost every field of study ranging from engineering and medical sciences to literature and management. Over the years, Canada has become an increasingly popular destination for international students owing to its liberal policies and prestigious universities.
Why Study in Canada?
- Canada has yet again claimed the number one spot for being the “the best place to study/live” in three consecutive years attracting students from all corners of the world to apply in one of the top 98 universities there. Harboring one of the longest coastlines, vast wild forests and world-class cities, the country is known for its tolerant and diverse environment that promotes education and investment. Here you get a wide range of courses and programs to choose from. Be it a bachelor’s course or masters and Ph.D. program, you can get it all here.
Top Colleges and Institutes in Canada
- With so many international courses and affordable college programs, it is only natural that the country would attract students from around the globe. The powerful post-secondary education system offers lucrative graduate, post-graduate and doctorate programs for aspiring candidates. Students can have their pick from over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate courses from 98 universities and 175 community colleges. Some of the top universities here include the McMaster University, University of Alberta, Queen’s University, University de Montreal, University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, University of Calgary, University of Western Ontario, and York University. In 2009, some institutions also designed a Student Partner’s Program or SPP where Canadian colleges collaborated with other universities fostering foreign students who wanted to pursue a degree-course there.
Some Useful Tips For Foreign Students Who Want to Apply
- International students applying for Canadian universities should keep in mind these tips for boosting their chances of getting accepted successfully in their dream institution
1) Look for colleges that offer SPP programs as they allow international students to temporarily stay in Canada and complete their course.
2) The students selected under the SPP programs also have a relatively easy visa approval process and don’t require much documentation as well.
3) Apply for a student permit at the visa office for smooth immigration.
4) Apply for scholarships and request for concessions in order to reduce the burden of handling the expenses all by yourself.
5) You can even apply for student loans and funding options that have a lower interest and repayment rate than regular loans.
6) Aim for a higher score in the entrance tests such as IELTS, GMAT, SAT, and GRE as it really enhances your chances of getting in.
7) International students can even check out colleges that have affiliations with language schools to improve their English.
Cost of Living in Canada
- (Currently 1 Canadian dollar costs 80 cents US.) Canada is a lot cheaper than most other places in America. The courses and programs there cost about half as much as what they would charge in the US. Even the annual living expenses are pretty affordable ranging from CAD 7,000 -14,000. Students who have opted for inclusive accommodation have to spend even less, roughly CAD 4,000 to CAD 9,000 per year. Students can even apply for part-time jobs Work from home or event management jobs like experiential marketing. and paid internships that would lessen their burden. Even the food and transport is inexpensive here compared to the other places in America.
Accommodation Options
- International students can either opt for the inclusive accommodation facilities i.e. stay within the university grounds in dorm rooms and hostels or rent an apartment. There are many housing options to choose from depending on the facilities and budgetary limitations. The student residences cost roughly CAD 250 – 600 per month while the university home-stays are priced somewhere between CAD 400 – 800 per month. Students moving into rented apartments and studios have to pay extra for the basic utilities and internet connection.
Canada’s Stay-Back Options
- International students who have completed their course and graduated from Canadian universities can stay back to take up the various employment options as well. Students graduating from SPP affiliated colleges also get the added benefit of faster work permit processing. The post-graduation work permit allows the candidate to stay back for three years depending on the duration of the program. Also, having a permanent residence in the country guarantees social and economic perks to students.
The Bottom Line
- Canada is a thriving and safe country that runs on liberal ideals of tolerance and secularism unlike other countries in America where students are more likely to have to deal with hostility and violence. It doesn’t have a central education system; each university is under the jurisdiction of the specific province it falls under. This decentralization of power and control only improves the quality of education provided making Canada one of the best international destinations to study in.
Danielle Ward
- Danielle is a Blogger by profession and loves sharing my thoughts over wealth and wellness blogs so that people can live a healthy life with a handsome income. She is based out in the UK but planning to move to Malta soon.
Posted in Guest Posts | Comments Off on I Want To Live/Study in Canada. What Are My Options? by Danielle Ward
Friday, August 18th, 2017
Simple Ways to Boost Your Confidence as a Writer by Brenda Berg offers advice for beginning and experienced writers along with several tools that can get you going and ignite your passion for getting your message out. Also, check out Brenda’s blog.
Introduction
- Writing is one of the most peculiar and intriguing careers for an individual to pursue. You could be writing for blogs, websites or maybe you’re thinking of writing your own best-selling novel? Regardless of what platform you’re writing for, the concept and practice remain the same. You spend a lot of time writing for people you’ll never meet and a lot of time online in front of a screen or empty book.
- As with any profession, there’ll be times when you feel like the world is against you. Writer’s block, low self-esteem or lack of confidence in your work are all feelings that come naturally to the job, but it’s worth remembering that these feelings are only temporary. If you’re starting feel like you are in a rut, here are some solid tips to get your head straight and to help get you back on your feet!
Believe In Yourself
- There’s no such thing as an aspiring writer. If you write for your passion or as a career, you are a writer. The only way to move forward is to believe in yourself and push yourself to become a better writer, a published writer or even a critically acclaimed writer. You are what you are, use this knowledge to make the most of your opportunities.
Balance Your Feelings On Feedback
- Yes, as a writer, client feedback is crucial to your success and will be one of the most important features to securing those high profile jobs. However, it’s vital that you remember that every client is different and will have different thoughts and feelings on your work. You may have written an article for a client that thought the work was okay or had a ton of revisions to make but that is just one client.
- There are countless clients out there who are in constant need of content. It’s your job to get out there and find the ones for you. As a word of advice, the vast majority of publications demand to see written and referred sources to verify the authenticity of the written work. A vital tool to help you achieve this professional is the online tool Cite It In. This godsend of a tool allows you to add citations and sources to your work whilst maintaining a professional and formal style.
Balance Your Life
- As mentioned above, writing is a lonely activity. It can be hard to concentrate in busy or public environments which is why writers tend to shut themselves off from the world to work. Although vital, this can cause writers to feel down, isolated and even disconnected from their loved ones.
- To combat these feelings and to put a smile back on your face, balance your lifestyle. Everybody has the same amount of hours in the day to find the time to cook meals you want to eat, find the time to spend with family, friends and loved ones, and find the time to exercise and sleep well. It can be stressful to think how many deadlines you have approaching but the trick is not to worry. Take a deep breath. Things take time and your clients will understand that.
Share Your Work
- This is particularly important if you’re writing content such as a book or novel that may not be published for some time. Confidence in yourself and your abilities can plummet if you don’t receive some kind of feedback and you can begin to doubt yourself and your skills. As the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. This means that you don’t have to constantly be working on your project for it to be a success.
- Work on other projects such as a blog or writing articles. Not only will this improve your writing skill and bring variation to your workload, you’ll be able to communicate with other people through your work, initiate conversations and connect with like-minded people that can help to boost your confidence tenfold.
- For example, you can use community resources like State of Writing and Viawriting for writing help and information, and share work and communicate with other writers from around the world. Use this tool to become a part of an exclusive online community that can rebuild your confidence and help you get your head back in the game.
Live For Your Passions
- Many writers began their writing careers because it was their passion to write. The ability to communicate with friends and strangers using your own voice to air your opinions, thoughts, ideas, concepts and ultimately, change the world for the people we have engaged.
- Whatever the reason you began writing, don’t lose heart. Return to the source of your motivation and rediscover that spark you felt in the first steps of your career. It could be a novel, an article, or some sort of content that inspired you to pursue a career in writing. By reigniting that flame, you can experience those feelings once again and regain confidence in your work.
- If you’re finding it difficult to get motivated to write, use an online tool such as Easy Word Count. (Doug: You word processor also probably will do word counts.) This is a great tool to help you make writing a daily part of your life and therefore become a habit. Set yourself a word target and track your efforts using the tool. A good starting point would be to write a 1000 word blog post every day on a subject of your choosing.
- To summarize, every writer will go through these feelings at one stage or another. The best advice I can give is to take a step back, breathe, evaluate your lifestyle and your work and make the decisions that are best for you, empowering you to get back on your feet and carry on the path to your own success!
Brenda Berg
- Brenda is a professional with over 15 years experience in business management, marketing, and entrepreneurship. She is based in Phoenix, AZ, USA. She is a part-time freelance writer, who is encouraged to travel around the world and share gained experience. She is passionate about covering topics on writing, business, and self-development. Check out her blog at Letsgoandlearn.com and follow her on Twitter @BrebdaJBerg.
Posted in Guest Posts | Comments Off on Simple Ways to Boost Your Confidence as a Writer by Brenda Berg
Monday, August 7th, 2017
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth shares her research and the work of others on the subject and explains that what we eventually accomplish depends more on our passion and perseverance than on our innate talent. This work can help you find your own passion and develop it. This is a vital book for parents, teachers, and human beings in general. Make sure your school library has at least one copy for starters.
1. Showing Up
- Angela starts with the story of her visits to West Point’s summer session for incoming freshman known affectionately as Beast Barracks. Due to the high dropout rate of plebs, the question was: what qualities are the best predictors of who makes it and who goes home early? The only metric the Army had was the Whole Candidate Score. It combined SAT/ACT scores, class rank, an expert appraisal of leadership potential, and performance on objective measures of physical fitness. The problem was that this score had no predictive value when it came to surviving the first summer or the full four-year program.
- What candidates needed it seems, was a never give up attitude, which had nothing to do with ability. When Duckworth heard this she decided to create an instrument to measure it. She then created the Grit Scale, which is included on page 55. She found that it was a good predictor for West Point. It also turned out to be a good predictor for other accomplishments such and earning college degrees. She found that there was no relationship between IQ and grit.
2. Distracted By Talent
- As a teacher early in her career Duckworth discovered that talent for math was different from excelling in math. She also found that her weakest students sounded smart when talking about things that interested them. She found that Americans endorse hard work five times more than intelligence. However, teachers are more likely to lavish attention on students they think are talented. Another problem is associated with tests for talent, which like tests for grit are imperfect.
3. Effort Counts Twice
- After being chided by her advisor while working on her PhD in psychology, Duckworth came up with two equations. Talent x Effort = Skill, and Skill x Effort = Achievement. Note that effort is included in both equations. While this theory does have a place for natural ability, it shows how effort is more important. This chapter gives examples of famous people who felt they succeeded thanks to their compulsive effort. In addition to talent and effort, there is also a place for opportunities and luck on the road to success. Encouraging parents with money are a prime example of opportunities.
Posted in Book Summaries, Business Books, Education Books, Leadership Books | Comments Off on Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
