Virtue may be its own reward,

But honesty's worth a scholarship

They're just 19 years old, three college students who have their own education to pay for.
Yet, they have started an annual scholarship to honor graduates from their former high school because, they said, it's the right thing to do.
James Joseph, John Simpkins and Brian Mann are longtime friends, having gone through Scouting, cross country, the National Honor Society and finally graduation from Grand Blanc High School together.
Good students each, they looked at the scholarship money they accumulated last year and decided to return the favor.
"We realized it came from people who didn't know us, didn't love us, not parents or grandparents, and we want to pass the feeling on," Joseph said last week.
Although they went to separate colleges -- Joseph to Hillsdale College, Simpkins to Michigan State University and Mann to the University of Michigan -- they dug into their own pockets and asked friends, relatives, businesses and strangers for $50 donations to come up with a $500 scholarship this year.
That money turned into the Honest Man Scholarship, designated for a male Grand Blanc graduate who fulfills the trio's ideals. It's not necessarily the smartest or the most athletic student. Instead it's a student who gives to the community, lives honorably and is worth encouraging.
Educators say it is rare for students to raise money for scholarships for others while still grappling with their own bills.

Read the Article ----

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Some very funny and totally wrong predictions of the past

Below is a nice collection of quotes that turned out to be very wrong. Many of the quotes are from very famous and respectable people. Maybe we should stop underestimating ourselves so much?



“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.”
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949



“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943



“I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.”
The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957



“But what … is it good for?”
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.



“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977



“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”
Western Union internal memo, 1876.



“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?”
David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.



“The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.”
A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.



“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”
H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.



“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.”
Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”



“A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.”
Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.



“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.



“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”
Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.



“If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this.”
Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M “Post-It” Notepads.



“So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’”
Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak’s personal computer.



“Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.”

1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard’s revolutionary rocket work.



“You want to have consistent and uniform muscle development across all of your muscles? It can’t be done. It’s just a fact of life. You just have to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of weight training.”
Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the “unsolvable” problem by inventing Nautilus.



“Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy.”
Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.



“The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives.”
Admiral William Leahy, US Atomic Bomb Project.



“This fellow Charles Lindbergh will never make it. He’s doomed.”
Harry Guggenheim, millionaire aviation enthusiast.



“Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.”
Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.



“Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.”
Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.



“Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances.”
Dr. Lee De Forest, inventor of the vacuum tube and father of television.



“Louis Pastueur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.”
Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872



“The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon.”
Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, 1873

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The 25 most difficult questions you'll be asked on a job interview

The 25 most difficult questions you'll be asked on a job interview
Having Completed your studies you will look for a job and would have to attend interviews. Here are the questions you are most likely to face:

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What do you know about our organization?
3. Why do you want to work for us?
4. What can you do for us that someone else can't?
5. What do you find most attractive about this position? What seems least attractive about it?
6. Why should we hire you?
7. What do you look for in a job?
8. Please give me your defintion of [the position for which you are being interviewed].
9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?
10. How long would you stay with us?
11. Your resume suggests that you may be over-qualified or too experienced for this position. What's Your opinion?
12. What is your management style?
13. Are you a good manager? Can you give me some examples? Do you feel that you have top managerial potential?
14. What do you look for when You hire people?
15. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the reasons, and how did you handle the situation?
16. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being a manager or executive?
17. What important trends do you see in our industry?
18. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job?
19. How do you feel about leaving all your benefits to find a new job?
20. In your current (last) position, what features do (did) you like the most? The least?
21. What do you think of your boss?
22. Why aren't you earning more at your age?
23. What do you feel this position should pay?
24. What are your long-range goals?
25. How successful do you you've been so far?

Find answers at
http://www.datsi.fi.upm.es/~frosal/docs/25mdq.html

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Where are the Jobs?

Here is a chart which shows where the jobs in USA are located.
This should help to decide for which state you should opt for studies in order to get a job easily.
Please correlate this with the program of your choice.
Good Luck
NBS


States with 98 Fortune listed Cos.
New York
California

States with 80 Fortune listed Cos.
Texas

States with 68 Fortune listed Cos.
Illinois

States with 62 Fortune listed Cos.
Ohio

States with 53 Fortune listed Cos.
Pennsylvania

States with 42 Fortune listed Cos.
New Jersey

States with 35 Fortune listed Cos.
Michigan

States with 30 Fortune listed Cos.
Florida

States with 29 Fortune listed Cos.
Missouri
Georgia

States with 32 Fortune listed Cos.
Minnesota
Connecticut
Virginia

States with 25 Fortune listed Cos.
Wisconsin
Massachusetts

States with 24 Fortune listed Cos.
North Carolina

States with 17 Fortune listed Cos.
Maryland

States with 16 Fortune listed Cos.
Washington

States with 15 Fortune listed Cos.
Colorado
Tennessee

States with 14 Fortune listed Cos.
Indiana

States with 13 Fortune listed Cos.
Arizona

States with 12 Fortune listed Cos.
Alabama

States with 10 Fortune listed Cos.
Arkansas

States with 9 Fortune listed Cos.
Kentucky

States with 7 Fortune listed Cos.
Oregon
Nevada
District of Columbia

States with 6 Fortune listed Cos.
Nebraska
Rhode Island
Utah
Oklahoma
South Carolina

States with 5 Fortune listed Cos.
Iowa
Kansas

States with 4 Fortune listed Cos.
Idaho
Delaware
Louisiana

States with 2 Fortune listed Cos.
Maine
South Dakota
New Hampshire
Hawaii

States with 1 Fortune listed Co.
Montana
New Mexico
Mississippi

States with 0 number of Fortune listed Co.
North Dakota
Wyoming
Vermont
West Virginia
Alaska

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Colleges attended by CEOs hired at Fortune 1000 firms in 2004, 2005

Company
CEO
College degree received from

Acuity Brands
Vernon Nagel
University of Michigan

AGCO
Martin Richenhagen
University of Bonn and Cologne

Agilent Technologies
William Sullivan
University of Cal-Davis

Allete
Donald Shippar
University of Wisconsin, Superior

Amica Mutual Insurance
Robert DiMuccio
Providence College

Aramark
Joseph Neubauer
Tufts University; MBA University of Chicago

ArvinMeritor
Charles McClure
Cornell

Avery Dennison
Dean Scarborough
Hiram College; MBA University of Chicago

Baker Hughes
Chad Deaton
University of Wyoming

Baxter International
Robert Parkinson
Loyola University

Beckman Coulter
Scott Garrett
Valparaiso University; MBA Lake Forest Graduate School of Management

Boeing
James Bell
California State University at Los Angeles

Broadcom
Scott McGregor
Stanford

Centex
Timothy Eller
University of Nebraska

Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab
Stanford

Chiquita Brands
Fernado Aguirre
Southern Illinois University

Citizens Communications
Maggie Wilderotter
Holy Cross

CMS Energy
David Joos
Iowa State University

Coca-Cola
Neville Isdell
University of Cape Town

Computer Associates
John Swainson
University of British Columbia

Continental Airlines
Larry Kellner
University of South Carolina

Corning
Wendell Weeks
Lehigh University; MBA Harvard

Crompton
Robert Wood
University of Michigan

CUNA Mutual Group
Jeff Post
University of Wisconsin at Madison

Dana
Michael Burns
Kettering University; M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania.

Darden Restaurants
Clarence Otis
Williams College; Law degree Stanford

Dell Computer
Kevin Rollins
Brigham Young University

Dover
Ronald Hoffman
Oklahoma State University

Dow Chemical
Andrew Liveris,
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Dun & Bradstreet
Steven Alesio
St. Francis College; MBA University of Pennsylvania\'s Wharton School

Energizer Holdings
Ward Klein
St. Olaf College; MBA Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University

Fannie Mae
Daniel Mudd
University of Virginia

FirstEnergy
Anthony Alexander
The University of Akron

Fleetwood Enterprises
Elden Smith
Whittier College

Great Lakes Chemical
John Gallagher,
University of Delaware

HNI
Stan Askren
University of Northern Iowa; MBA from Washington University

IMS Health
David Carlucci
University of Rochester

Insight Enterprises
Richard Fennessy
Michigan State

Intel
Paul Otellini
University of San Francisco; MBA from the University of California, Berkeley

Interpublic Group
Michael Roth
CUNY

ITT Industries
Steven Loranger
University of Colorado; Masters University of Colorado

J. C. Penney
Myron “Mike” Ullman
University of Cincinnati

Kellogg
James Jenness
DePaul University in Chicago

King Pharmaceuticals
Brian Markison
Iona College

Kmart Holding
Aylwin Lewis
University of Houston

LandAmerica Financial Group
Theodore Chandler
University of Virginia; T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond

Landstar System
Henry Gerkens
Adelphi University

Lockheed Martin
Robert Stevens
Slippery Rock

Louisiana-Pacific
Richard Frost
Louisiana State University; MBA Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Lowe\'s s
Robert Niblock
University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Lubrizol n
James Hambrick
Texas A&M University

Maxtor
Chong Sup Park
Yonsei University, Korea; MBA from the University of Chicago, and a doctorate in Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University

Mutual of Omaha
Daniel Neary
University of Iowa; Masters, University of Iowa

The New York Times Co.
Janet Robinson
Salve Regina College

Nike
William Perez
Cornell University; American Graduate School of International Management

Owens-Illinois
Steven McCracken
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Peabody Energy
Gregory Boyce
University of Arizona

Perot Systems
Peter Altabef
Binghamton University, State University of New York; University of Chicago Law School

PETCO Animal Supplies
James Myers
John Carroll University

PG&E
Peter Darbee
Dartmouth; MBA Dartmouth

Premcor
Jefferson Allen
Lehigh University; MBA Harvard

Progress Energy
Robert McGehee
University of Texas, U.S. Naval Academy

RadioShack
David Edmondson
Pacific Coast Baptist College in San Dimas, Calif.

Sara Lee
Brenda Barnes
Augustana

Sempra Energy
Donald Felsinger
University of Arizona.

Sequa
Martin Weinstein
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Masters MIT

Service Corporation International
Thomas Ryan
University of Texas at Austin

Siebel Systems
Michael Lawrie
Ohio University; MBA Drexel

SLM
Tim Fitzpatrick
LaSalle University; MBA LaSalle University

Snap-on
Jack Michaels
University of Cincinnati

Southwest Airlines
Gary Kelly
University of Texas

Southwest Gas
Jeffrey Shaw
University of Utah

Spherion
Roy Krause
Ohio State University; MBA Georgia State

SPX
Christopher Kearney
University of Notre Dame; DePaul University Law School

Stryker
Stephen MacMillan
Davidson College

Tellabs
Krish Prabhu
Bangalore University; Masters Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai (Bombay)

Texas Industries
Mel Brekhus
Montana Tech of The University of Montana

Texas Instruments
Richard Templeton
Union College

Time-Warner
Dick Parsons
University of Hawaii; Union University\'s Albany Law School

TXU
John Wilder
Southeast Missouri State University; MBA University of Texas

Unisy
Joseph McGrath
Rutgers University

United States Steel
John Surma
Pennsylvania State University

US Airways Grou
Bruce Lakefield
U.S. Naval Academy

USEC
James Mellor
University of Michigan; Masters University of Michigan

USF
Thomas Bergmann
University of Saint Thomas; Masters of Management degree from The J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Valspar
William Mansfield
Drexel; MBA Lehigh

Visteon
Michael Johnston
University of Massachusetts at Lowell; Master\'s degree in business administration from Michigan State University

Walt Disney
Robert Iger
Ithaca

Waste Management
David Steiner
Louisiana State University; Law degree University of California in Los Angeles.

Whirlpool
Jeff Fettig
Indiana University

Winn-Dixie Stores
Peter Lynch
Nichols College

Source: Burson-Marsteller and USA TODAY research

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For those who have been admitted and have to choose between programs

When comparing different programs consider the following aspects in the order they are presented.

Financial Support

The importance of this factor tends to be overestimated by students, I guess, this is mostly to our financial hardship here. Overall once you get financial support and it is said to continue during your period of studies, which is what you generally get if you get admitted, the exact amount of support does not matter that much. Universities will give you enough money to cover all your basic needs, thus I would suggest you not to prioritize this factor. You might consider whether you will receive Scholarship, TA or RA, though this is usually given only for the first year and then you will get RA. In some universities for some professors in theory (because they have less money than those in experiment) you might be required to teach (be TA) during all your period of studies, you might want to check on that with graduate coordinator or current graduate students.

University\'s and Program\'s rating

That is obviously important. The better the program, the better the faculty members and the higher level of the graduate students.

Faculty Members working in your chosen area

Importance of this aspect often gets underestimated. If you are unsure in what field you would like to work, then you probably do not need to bother about that. On the other hand if you have already decided that you want to work in the field of Theoretical Condensed Matter, for example, check how many professors at this university work in this field, how old they are (don\'t count those over 60-65), whether they take new students. Make sure that there are at least 2 professors (better 3-5) which you consider as your possible scientific advisors.

Location and Climate

This might seem of little importance at first .

Although American cities does not differ in living conditions, cultural attractions, etc it is still true that live in the coastal, Mid-Western, Southern and Northern states is quite different. The best states to live are costal. As a general rule mid-American states are more traditional, conservative and costal states are more diverse and active.

Also, do check for the climate, the month by month temperatures can be found for all major cities in US.

Personal Considerations

You might want to consider whether some of your friends are already at this university.

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3 tips to use the Net well

The first rule of applying to college comes from the nursery: do your homework.

A decade ago, information depended far more on word-of-mouth recommendations and doorstep-sized guides.
Today, the biggest problem you will face if you are surfing is not a lack but a glut.

Welcome to the era of information overload.
Most students assume that the college application process, whether in the United States, United Kingdom or India, is aimed at picking the best and brightest minds. This is not true.
The application process prepares you for a world of paperwork, bureaucracy and tests. The application process is an endurance test designed to weed out the lazy, the uncommitted, the unsure.
An online search for college admission guidelines will yield literally thousands of Web sites.
You could spend the years you are supposed to be attending college simply sifting through those databases, working your way from information on GRE and TOEFL and SAT tests to specialized Web sites that rate colleges by dorms and the quantity of beer consumed at frat parties to sheaf\'s of application forms down to weather Web sites that will surf for colleges in Siberia if required.
The trick is to focus.

There are three things you need to look for in order to use the Net efficiently, so keep them in mind:

1. Decide the stream or career you want to go into

Some online sites offer \'sorter\' tests and career planners. Use them, but sparingly.
Your interests in school are likely to be a better guide.
If you have already chosen your stream, surf the many \'practice\' sites that offer test papers and GRE/ TOEFL/ SAT models, and use bad cybercafe connections to your advantage.
If you can complete a model test in the allotted time with noisy fellow surfers and on/ off connectivity, you will do just fine at the actual test centre.

2. Pick the country and college you want to go to.

If you want to study in India, the Net is a bad resource. Except for the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institute of Management, and a few over-designed, under-informed college Web sites, most of your searching is better done offline.
But chatrooms and message boards focused on the student community are great places to pick up inside information, like gigantic versions of the cafes and addas, where a previous generation used to trawl for special tips.
Alumni networks offer additional perspective on the college of your choice.
If you are looking for study options in the US or UK, do not start by surfing individual college web sites.
There are so many of them, and so well-layered, that you will end up with an embarrassment of riches.
Instead, start with the \'umbrella\' sites and sites that will \'matchmake\' for you. Once you have picked a few options, surf individual college Web sites.
Also take a look at umbrella campus sites that rate student living and extracurricular activities.
Use Yank spelling if you are searching for a US university and watch out for scamsters trying to sell you a Harvard education or an Oxford degree that does not involve you actually going to those institutions.
The world\'s top 10 science universities!

3. Look for scholarships and financial aid options.

Again, look at the umbrella sites first (Sallie Mae runs a great one in the US, and local chapters of organisations like the British Council are good places to start looking for information). Then finetune your search to specific scholarship sites.
Paradoxically, searches are easier if you want to study in countries off the normal Indian student map: Wales, New Zealand, Argentina, for example. There is less info and less clutter, so more focus.
Then hit the process sites: since there are tens of thousands of sites offering guidance on how to fill up admission forms, including checklists and reminders, use them.
Once you have sent in your application, monitor it carefully. Many sites, like the Oxbridge colleges and some US colleges, will plug you into a database where you can track the fate of your application and see where it has reached in the pipeline.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Clever students will also use the Net to database further. If you want to join a specific department, for example, check out each professor\'s interests and credentials, and match your application essay accordingly.
There are no limits beyond your imagination and what you fill in the search fields.

(FROM THE NET)

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Networking on the Network:

A Guide to Professional Skills for PhD Students


Dr.Phil Agre's article has compelled me to recommend it as a must reading for any one aspiring for graduate studies
As a graduate student preparing for a career in research, you have two jobs: (1) do some good research, and (2) build a community around your research topic. These two jobs may seem to conflict with one another, given that research is generally a solitary activity (or something you do with the local gang in your lab) whereas networking is a social activity, something you largely do away from home. The demands of your thesis committee may seem so immediate and crushing that you let your community-building slide. Or your thesis advisor may be locked into the old patriarchal view that you will succeed professionally because of your thesis committee's contacts and not because of your own effort. I want to offer another view: you are in charge of your career, and the best way that you can take charge of your career is to build a community around your research.
This article is an introduction to professional skills for PhD students, and the most important of these skills involve building a professional network. I will proceed as follows. Section 2 provides a simple six-step model of the networking process. Section 3 considers several advanced topics: noticing emerging themes in your area, using consultation to organize things, ensuring that you get proper credit for your contributions, learning to engage professionally with people from different disciplinary and cultural backgrounds, and deciding where to publish your work. Section 4 describes the relationship between your professional network and your dissertation. Both of them pertain to the process of knitting yourself and your work into a set of professional relationships. Section 5 reveals the mysteries of academic language. Section 6 explains how to get an academic job, building on the networking you've done and on the concepts that underlie networking. Section 7 assumes that you have established yourself in the research community and introduces the topic of advising others. Section 8 explains how to get tenure, emphasizing the "deep tenure" that you attain within your research community rather than the details of departmental politics. Section 9 presents several theories of your career, based on other people's ideas. My own theory of your career is called incremental alignment. Its main purpose is to keep you from overgeneralizing when you find yourself in career circumstances that aren't entirely positive. Section 10 presents a more advanced theory of networking, including the process by which research fields become institutionalized. Section 11 then examines the moral issues that the process of leadership can raise. An appendix provides an annotated bibliography of books and articles on the topic of professional networking.

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Can Indian Lawyers practice in UK?

I qualified as a lawyer in India. Will my qualification be valid to practice in the UK?
What is the eligibility to appear for the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test(QLTT) in India?
What is the difference between a barrister and a solicitor?
What are the CPD?
Who regulates Solicitors in UK?


Solicitors

1. I qualified as a lawyer in India. Will my qualification be valid to practice in the UK?

Solicitors and barristers from England and Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland can practise in the UK without retraining. (The Law Society of Scotland has transfer tests for solicitors from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and other parts of the European Union who wish to requalify as Scottish solicitors).

Lawyers from India can enrol as a solicitor after they pass the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) . Qualified Indian lawyers generally have to clear just one head of the test, namely Professional Conduct and Accounts. It is a three-hour written examination, for which, lawyers must apply for a “certificate of eligibility” from the Law Society of England and Wales. A two-year practice is also required before an Indian lawyer can qualify as a solicitor. However, this requirement can be satisfied by a suitable period of practice in India, so there is no need for an Indian lawyer to take time out of his own practice to come to England. The Law Society determines on a case-by-case basis whether the practical experience obtained by a lawyer in India is sufficient to satisfy this practice condition. The Law Society for England and Wales has information on qualifying from overseas on their website (see the qualifying as a solicitor section).

2. What is the eligibility to appear for the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test(QLTT) in India?

Indian lawyers will soon be able to qualify as Solicitors of the Supreme Court of England and Wales without having to travel to England to do so. It is expected that New Delhi or Mumbai would be the fourth city in the world to have its own QLTT Centre. The College of Law has been licensed by the Law Society to open two test centres for the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) in India. The QLTT is the conversion examination, which enables overseas lawyers to qualify as solicitors. Indian lawyers have been eligible to clear the test in London for several years but now the QLTT will be held in India itself, providing a much cheaper and more convenient route to dual qualification. The College of Law will run the test in both Delhi and Mumbai in April and October 2006 and will provide preparatory tuition for candidates.

3. What is the difference between a barrister and a solicitor?

The legal profession in Britain is divided into two branches: barristers (called ‘advocates’ in Scotland) and solicitors.

Solicitors undertake legal business for individual and corporate clients, while barristers advise on legal problems submitted through solicitors and present cases in higher courts. Certain functions are common to both – for example, the presentation of cases in lower courts. Barristers must pass professional examinations before being called to the Bar (Barristers are known collectively as the Bar), and they must then serve an apprenticeship with a qualified barrister for one year.

Solicitors must also pass professional examinations and serve a two-year period of apprenticeship, called ‘articles’, in a solicitor’s office. Once qualified in this way, a newly admitted solicitor is supervised for three years.

4. What are the CPD?

The Law Society now requires that every solicitor should be constantly updating their skills and knowledge, and that formally assessed training should not end with the training contract. Indeed, from 1998 all solicitors will have to undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The requirement is 16 hours a year for the first three years after qualification and a total of 48 hours for each subsequent three-year period.

This CPD requirement can be met using a variety of methods including correspondence courses, courses based on television or video programmes and assessments based on editorial from journals. Many seminars and conferences are also accredited for CPD.

5. Who regulates Solicitors in UK?

Solicitors are in a position of trust. They provide advice on matters that are enormously important to their clients, so it is essential that their advice is expert, independent, efficient and courteous. It is for this reason that the Law Society has been entrusted with powers to regulate the profession. The Law Society regulates and represents the solicitors’ profession in England and Wales and has a public interest role in working for reform of the law.

The Law Society regulates Solicitors by setting the standards for qualifying as a solicitor, setting the rules of professional conduct , providing guidance on professional conduct, setting the requirements for continuing professional development, monitoring solicitors to make sure they comply with the rules, dealing with complaints about solicitors and help to resolve them and ‘investigate and, if necessary, discipline solicitors who don't meet the standards.

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Write a letter to School Counselors

The following letter regarding acceptance of copies of standardised scores by the schools was written to National Council of Admission Counselors(NACAC).There was no responce from them.If you want to save on your application cost you are advised to write to them.This will support the movement. Their email address info@nacac.com


I have been following your activities for the past few months.
The present issues being discussed by you are praise worthy.
I suggest that some more need to be done in order that an international
student is not over burdened with the costs of applying. I have been
helping Indian students to apply to N. American Colleges and have observed
that :

1.Many American Universities and colleges have started charging a higher
application fee for international students vis- a -vis domestic students.
Further with high
competition for admissions each candidate has to apply to several
universities. As such the cost of applying has gone up very much.

2.Added to this is the burden of official score reporting for standardized
tests demanded by almost all colleges.

3. As the universities are likely to justify the application fee
differential by quoting that the cost of communication to international
addresses is more I suggest that initially they need not insist on the
official test
scores.A photostat copy should do to start the process and once
the admission is granted they can ask for official scores.

4.In the present circumstances the student has to report scores to every
university he has applied and even
the university which denies him admission receives it at a cost to the
student. This unnecessarily increases the costs to the international
students.

5. By this small change in the policy of the universities the score will be
reported only once and shall reduce the burden of the candidate. Being an
influential group of people with an association with colleges I suggest
that
you should take up this matter and consider it positively.

Thanking you
N.B. Singh
Admission Source
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Be a Billionaire

It is always feels good to talk about billionaires. Here is a piece from
http://dreamworkers.spaces.msn.com/blog/
I am reproducing this to add some spice to your dreary student existence. May this open doors for you to be a future billionaire.


Be a billionaire

Last days, I saw the Forbes' rich list. It has always been wonderful to read about the successful juntas across the world. I explored web world to find out some facts and trivia about these billionaires. I picked names of the top 200 guys, and I couldn't stop my analytical skills to get something interesting facts that was unknown to me before. Maybe....some KPO juntas find me, processing knowledge here... Well, whatever, I'm posting few findings over here....

Facts behind Top 200 Richest People across the World
The findings are divided into 4 categories (no more, I guess).... Educational Background, Age group, Professions, and the source of Fortune.

Education

I. Drop Outs
1. Total number is 17 (out of 200)
2. "Microsoft" rules...as its 2 founders and CEO, all 3 are dropouts.
3. 6 (from17) are from "IT industry" and have founded the best companies of silicon valley, viz-a-viz, Microsoft, Dell, Apple, and Oracle.
4. After IT, 5 are in "investments" and 4 have acquaintance with "media/entertainment" industry.
5. 5 were dropped out after studying high schools.

II. Study-Area
1). 25 ----- MBA (Master of Business Administration)
2). 101 ----- Bachelor's degree (Arts/Science)
3). 9 ----- Master of Science
4). 18 ----- Doctorate
5). 12 ----- High School
6). 1 ----- Medical Doctor

II. Study-Location

1). 77 have completed their education in "United States(US)"
2). 10 ----- Harvard University
3). 9 ----- Stanford University
4). 5 ----- Yale University
5). 4 ----- Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Texas-Austin
6). 3 ----- Columbia University; Princeton University

Age-Group

30-40 ----- 14
40-50 ----- 40*
50-60 ----- 26
60-70 ----- 43*
70-80 ----- 39
80-90 ----- 27
90+ ----- 5

I. Geographic Distribution
If we pick the list of top-200 and take the countries having more than 5 billionaires in the top-200 list---

Country ( Average Age ) #of Billionaire


Russia ( 46 ) 21

India ( 56 ) 8

Saudi Arabia ( 56 ) 8

Canada ( 58 ) 7

United States ( 65 ) 66

Japan ( 69 ) 7

Germany ( 70 ) 22

France ( 71 ) 6
)
Sweden ( 72 ) 5

Hong Kong ( 78 ) 8


---- The youngest breed of billionaires came from Russia. India, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and US are successors.
---- United States(66) has the largest number of billionaires. The others in the list are Germany(22) and Russia(21)
---- The software and technology industry has the lowest average age --- 53 yrs

II. Age below 50 and Professions
Total 53
Software and Technology 10
Oil/Gas 8
Mining/Lumber 6
Manufacturing 4
Finance, Diversified(each) 3
Investments, Pharmaceuticals(each) 2

Professions

Software & Technology 22
Retailing 19
Manufacturing 17
Media/Entertain 17
Oil/Gas 17
Finance 15
Real Estate 13
Investments 12
Diversified 12
Mining/Lumber 9
Pharmaceuticals 7
Food 6
Apparel 5
Service 5
Engineering/Construction 5
Beverages 4
Gambling /Leisure 4
Shipping/Transport 3
Communications 2

------ In the list of 21 Russian richest juntas, 9 are from Oil/Gas industry and 7 are from Mining industry
------ In the list of 22 richest juntas for Software & Technology industry, 13 are from US and 3 are from India

Fortune

Self-made 117
Inherited & Growing 43
Inherited 40

------ Most self-made billionaires come from the age group of "Below 50" --- 43

Suggestions ........ 2 become a billionaire
Drop your education or make a situation to be dropped out....... and start a career in Software/ Technology or Investments....... and try to make acquaintance with media industry
Study in United State.
Do MBA....
Must complete your bachelor's degree
Go to Harvard/Stanford
If your age is below 50, you have more chances; otherwise you'll have to wait until 60..... if crossed 80 or 90... u r having least chance
Don't stare at the records and leave the plan to move Russia... all young juntas made money in the 90's
Young juntas move to India, Saudi Arabia, and Canada or US.........old juntas go to Japan, Germany, France, and Sweden.
Software & Technology industry has more chances ...... for young juntas and for gonna-be-self-made-billionaire-juntas
If u can find Time-machine somewhere, make sure u move to Russia, 15 years back, and being placed in oil/gas or mining industry.
Otherwise........be dropped out after your high schools
Never go to Denmark/Colombia and start Agriculture/Chemical company.....you'll have to wait until u become 90.

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Effectively writing an email is an art

It's all about me: Why e-mails are so easily misunderstood
By Daniel Enemark | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

Michael Morris and Jeff Lowenstein wouldn't have recognized each other if they'd met on the street, but that didn't stop them from getting into a shouting match. The professors had been working together on a research study when a technical glitch inconvenienced Mr. Lowenstein. He complained in an e-mail, raising Mr. Morris's ire. Tempers flared.
"It became very embarrassing later," says Morris, when it turned out there had been a miscommunication, "but we realized that we couldn't blame each other for yelling about it because that's what we were studying."
Morris and Lowenstein are among the scholars studying the benefits and dangers of e-mail and other computer-based interactions. In a world where businesses and friends often depend upon e-mail to communicate, scholars want to know if electronic communications convey ideas clearly.
The answer, the professors conclude, is sometimes "no." Though e-mail is a powerful and convenient medium, researchers have identified three major problems. First and foremost, e-mail lacks cues like facial expression and tone of voice. That makes it difficult for recipients to decode meaning well. Second, the prospect of instantaneous communication creates an urgency that pressures e-mailers to think and write quickly, which can lead to carelessness. Finally, the inability to develop personal rapport over e-mail makes relationships fragile in the face of conflict.
In effect, e-mail cannot adequately convey emotion. A recent study by Profs. Justin Kruger of New York University and Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago focused on how well sarcasm is detected in electronic messages. Their conclusion: Not only do e-mail senders overestimate their ability to communicate feelings, but e-mail recipients also overestimate their ability to correctly decode those feelings.
One reason for this, the business-school professors say, is that people are egocentric. They assume others experience stimuli the same way they do. Also, e-mail lacks body language, tone of voice, and other cues - making it difficult to interpret emotion.
"A typical e-mail has this feature of seeming like face-to-face communication," Professor Epley says. "It's informal and it's rapid, so you assume you're getting the same paralinguistic cues you get from spoken communication."
To avoid miscommunication, e-mailers need to look at what they write from the recipient's perspective, Epley says. One strategy: Read it aloud in the opposite way you intend, whether serious or sarcastic. If it makes sense either way, revise. Or, don't rely so heavily on e-mail. Because e-mails can be ambiguous, "criticism, subtle intentions, emotions are better carried over the phone," he says.
E-mail's ambiguity has special implications for minorities and women, because it tends to feed the preconceptions of a recipient. "You sign your e-mail with a name that people can use to make inferences about your ethnicity," says Epley. A misspelling in a black colleague's e-mail may be seen as ignorance, whereas a similar error by a white colleague might be excused as a typo.
If you're vulnerable to this kind of unintentional prejudice, pick up the phone: People are much less likely to prejudge after communicating by phone than they are after receiving an e-mail. Kruger and Epley demonstrated this when they asked 40 women at Cornell to administer a brief interview, 20 by phone and 20 by e-mail. They then asked a third group of 20, the "targets," to answer the phone interviewers' questions. They sent a transcription of the targets' answers to the e-mail interviewers.
The professors then handed each interviewer what they said was a photo of her subject. In reality, each got a picture of either an Asian or an African-American woman (in reality, all were white).
E-mail interviewers who thought the sender was Asian considered her social skills to be poor, while those who believed the sender was black considered her social skills to be excellent. In stark contrast, the difference in perceived sociability almost completely disappeared when interviewer and target had talked on the phone.
E-mail tends to be short and to the point. This may arise from the time pressures we feel when writing them: We know e-mail arrives as soon as we send it, so we feel we should write it quickly, too. On the other hand, letters depend on postal timetables. A letter writer feels he has a bigger window of time to think and write.
Psychologists Massimo Bertacco and Antonella Deponte call this characteristic "speed facilitation," and they believe it influences our episodic memory - our ability to recall events. They found that e-mailers wrote shorter messages and were less likely to "ground their communications" in memories of shared experience than letters writers were.
The brevity of e-mail and the absence of audiovisual cues can endanger business and personal relationships unless e-mail is supplemented with the rapport that comes from more personal communication.
"Rapport creates a buffer of positive regard," says Professor Morris, "and when it's not there negotiation becomes brittle, vulnerable to falling apart."
Morris, who studies negotiation at Columbia, led a study that found that negotiators exchange more than three times the information in face-to-face interactions as they do via e-mail. Though Morris and his colleagues concluded that e-mail lets negotiators make "more complex, multiple-issue offers," they ultimately built less rapport, thereby increasing tensions and lowering the average economic value of the agreements.
Rapport "is an interpersonal resonance of emotional expression," Morris says, "involving synchronous gesture, laughing, and smiling together. Once this rapport exists, it's a buffer against a moment in the negotiation when there's some friction." This buffer is hard to develop without speaking over the phone or in person. Those who negotiated by e-mail in Morris's study trusted each other less and weren't as interested in working together again.
But the pitfalls of e-mail interaction were easily overcome by a single phone call. Morris ran a second round of negotiations, all conducted via e-mail, but made half of the corresponding pairs chat on the phone before negotiating - "just for five or 10 minutes," Morris explains, "and the key thing is we told them, 'Don't get into the issues. It's just an icebreaker.' " The result was dramatically improved agreements.
So if you want to buy something on Craig's List, Morris says, "make a brief phone call, even if it's not practical to do the whole negotiation by phone. You can establish a favorable bias with someone and then proceed in a less rich medium, but it's very hard to just get right into the negotiation on a medium that isn't rich."

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