“College isn’t for everyone” has been a common rhetoric detailing why parents shouldn’t force their children to pursue a higher education. However, it’s also shockingly fitting when applied to the growing inequality in education; as in, if you don’t have money, then it may not be for you. While no one is actually coming out and saying this, they might as well when you look at the cost of tuition in the US. The average student is graduating with over US$30,000 in debt for a monthly cost of US$393 post graduation
While this has been a discussion for far too long, it appears that things are actually getting worse, especially so with the COVID-19 crisis. With all the talk about diversity right now, why aren’t we also focusing on education?
The middle and lower class crunch
Economically, pretty much everyone is taking a financial hit, unless you’re a technology company or maybe a grocery store. However, no one will be worse off by the end of this crisis than the middle and lower class. Unfortunately, this is where we see the biggest gaps of inequality.
Money isn’t exactly a luxury that many students have the affordance to spend. Sometimes it can even be a bit painful to cough up the US$1.50 coffee at university. And this was still the case with many students back when they could keep working their jobs, the most common of which either being a host or a waiter at a restaurant. But many now haven’t had the chance to bring in the extra few dollars each month.
If you then calculate that there’s a high probability that their parents have been out of work as well, or some even laid off, it’s very likely that students are left with a big decision to make: “can I continue my education right now?” A question to which over 50% of American students can’t confidently say “yes”.
A COVID-related income issue isn’t the only thing that has affected students; it’s also the reliance on university facilities. University closures mean that students can’t access WiFi if needs be and 10% of households in the US still don’t have internet access. So, if they can’t purchase internet access or lack the proper technology, does that mean they shouldn’t study?
Time to find solutions
Finding a fix for the inequality in education has undoubtedly played its part in how long the issue has been affecting the system. However, it begins and ends with the universities, who have all the tools capable to help almost every student with financial issues.
Decreasing tuition costs has been at the heart of the discussion, but it appears as if most universities aren’t interested in doing this despite their facilities being closed and students not having access to the resources they pay for. So, what other options can help?
This starts with those who have been on the favourable side of the squeeze of the middle class: the wealthy. And, it’s not about taxing them; it’s about them stepping up and using their enormous bank accounts to ensure that the future leaders are well educated and well prepared. Some have already started donating funds to universities, but if the universities aren’t allocating these funds correctly, who does the money ego to?
One solution that could solve the problem is to have the donated funds used to finally create an income-based tuition programme, whereby the amount of tuition fees paid is determined by family income. That way, at least they could still feel comfort that if their financial struggles become serious, their education won’t have to suffer the full brunt of it.
But that still won’t solve some students’ reliance on the university’s technology if there’s a prolonged closure of facilities. Once again, universities should be looking to help all students succeed. The equipment that’s going unused could be loaned out to students in need. Internet access cards should be available to anyone who can’t access a connection. If the universities aren’t allowing students to use the tech they pay for, they could at least provide them to the students who need them the most.
If the recent protests have taught us anything, it’s that the world is tired of inequality and is pushing for diversity. With this change, it would be a real shame if education was left out of the picture.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Military Macaw (Ara militaris) is a large parrot and a medium-sized member of the macaw genus. Though considered vulnerable as a wild species, it is still commonly found in the pet trade industry. A predominantly green bird, it is found in the forests of Mexico and South America. Military Macaws live in large flocks and can live about 50–60 years in the wild. They can often be heard long before they are seen. They are a very noisy bird making a variety of loud cracking and shrieking sounds, including a loud kraa-aak.


By Amen Said Abel-Ghany
WJMCR 41 (March 2011)
This study examines the ability of new media to support democracy and play a role in changing Egypt as a model for developing countries. This is accomplished through studying the use of Egyptian political movements such as the “Kfaiya Movement”, “April 6 Youth Movement” and “The National Assembly for Change”. These movements used the new media to express their views, call others to participate in the activities they hold, and try to change the existing political system. This study surveyed a sample of these political movements members and Egyptian media specialists and revealed the ability of new tools for change and support democracy. At the same time, respondents affirmed the limited impact of these instruments in Egypt, because Egyptian political movements do not efficiently use the new media of communication, as 70% of the sample said that these movements “sometimes” do not use the new media efficiently.
Researchers attached high hopes on new media in promoting democracy all over the world, and seeking to change human societies to the best. Though researchers monitored many cases where new media played an influential role, their hopes seem far away so far, especially in developing countries. This study examines the ability of new media to support democracy and play a role in changing Egypt as a model for developing countries. This is accomplished through studying the use of Egyptian political movements such as the “Kfaiya Movement”, “April 6 Youth Movement” and “The National Assembly for Change”. These movements used the new media to express their views, to call others to participate in the activities they hold, and to try to change the existing political system. This study surveyed a sample of these political movements members and Egyptian media specialists and revealed the ability of new tools for change and support democracy. At the same time, respondents affirmed the limited impact of these instruments in Egypt, because Egyptian political movements did not efficiently use the new media of communication sometimes, as 70% of the sample said. There are differences between the two elements of the sample– media professionals and members of political movements. The respondents revealed several reasons for misuse of the new media and their limited impact. The most important of these reasons are:
- Political reasons: including: network chasing, official violence pointed to change movements and trapping their activities in the street.
- Social reasons such as: illiteracy, the ruling system of traditional values in these communities, the low educational level and high level of cultural illiteracy. In addition to the decline in using new media, as they are usually used by young people in developing societies, who are naturally not active, particularly in Arab societies, and only use them for recreational purposes.
- Economic reasons such as poverty and lack of social justice in distributing wealth.
The study revealed that the majority of respondents affirmed that Egyptian political movements converted to electronic phenomena of confined and trapped in cyberspace. The same thing happened to Egyptian political parties which turned into, paper phenomena as they only exist through the newspapers. Only 25% of the respondents said that Egyptian political movements did not convert to a digital phenomenon in confined cyberspaces, while 47% of them said that they converted to – some extent – to a digital phenomenon and 27% said that they actually turned to a digital phenomena as political parties – formerly – into press phenomena.
The use of new media increased democratic participation by the otherwise apathetic masses in many places, but the means and results of the political use of new media are dissimilar. The American and Hong Kong civil societies cases both support several generalizations about how new media may increase participation in politics. First, they reduce frictions in political mobilization particularly in fund raising, voting and participation in protests. This is particularly useful at times of general discontent in the society. Second, they foster a sense of individual empowerment among citizens, thereby reducing political apathy. Third, so far political insurgents (those out of office or out of the mainstream) have more effectively experimented with alternative media than incumbents, who enjoy advantages in resources and access to the traditional mass media. Fourth, in election campaigns, the more competitive the race, the higher the incentives are for the candidates to explore creative use of digital media.1The Arabs started using new media heavily in 2003 in line the U.S. invasion of Iraq . the blogs were first and most important forms used in the Arab world, and became the blogging phenomenon in the Arab world in 2006.2 The distribution of Arabic blogs are not equal in terms of the number of Arab countries, where Egypt comes in the first place followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and Morocco.3
The political implications come at the top of the topics offered in Arabic blogs, followed by social issues and religious subjects. Individual blogs far outnumber collective blogging. Bloggers use Arab Arabic basically.4
Lynch says describes blogging activity this way:
“Arab political bloggers engage in three principle types of activity: activism, bridge-blogging, and public sphere engagement. Activists are directly involved in political movements, using blogs to coordinate political action, spread information, and magnify the impact of contentious politics. Bridgebloggers primarily address Western audiences, usually writing in English with the intention of explaining their societies. Finally, public-sphere bloggers tend not to be directly involved in a political movement, but are deeply engaged with public arguments about domestic (and often Arab or Islamic) politics.”5
There are many political movements and civil societies’ organizations in Egypt since the year 2000 as:
The Egyptian Movement for Change “Kefaia“:The Egyptian Movement for Change Kefaia is a collection of various Egyptian political bodies aimed at establishing a new legitimacy in Egypt, after getting rid of Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
It started after the change of Egyptian cabinet in July 2004, when three hundred of Egyptian intellectuals and public figures representing the entire Egyptian political spectrum, wrote a document calls for real political change in Egypt and ending economic injustice and corruption in foreign policy. Kefaia followed the style of protest in most of its opposition situations against Egyptian regime which responded to the movement growth – that reached to 22 out of the 26 Egyptian governorates – with campaigns of detention and dragged that were described by the movement as savage. Kefaia won intense media support led by opposition newspapers, whose ceiling of freedom in what they are writing, raised because of Kefaia. Many journalists of those newspapers wrote almost daily about people they were banned to mention just before the emergence of this movement such as Egyptian President’s family, especially his wife and his son Gamal Mubarak.6
Kefaia founded a website on the Internet, taking into account individual initiative and small group work, which brought great flexibility of movement at the same time accused of losing control of its internal events, they turned the stream of following-up events for the maker of the events in some situations, attitudes. The spread of the Egyptian Movement for Change Kefaia stimulatedthe emergence of other specific and class movements like “Youth for Change”, “Workers for Change”, and Journalists for Change” and “Students for change”. Professional and freedom demands throughout Egypt went out of this movement as well as many others cadres and ideas used by the political parties and the Muslim Brotherhood in parallel activities. The movement called for a series of demonstrations on the Internet, namely:
- 12 December 2004 before the High Court in Cairo.
- 4 February 2005 at the Cairo Book Fair,
- 21 March 2005 in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
- 30 March 2005 in three governorates.
- 27 April 2005 in 15 governorates .
- 25 May 2005 on the referendum of the Constitution.
- 1 June 2005 at the Press Syndicate.
- 8 June 2005 in front of the tomb of Saad Zaghloul.
- 6 April 2008 as part of a call for a general strike in Egypt
Kefaia Mandra:The Kefaiamovement has a forum on the Internet, which is subordinate link from the movement official site and is considered as one of the strongest and best Egyptian political and cultural forums on the Internet which has thousands of participating members.Kefaia Mandra forum is characterized by its highly qualified members in culture and science, including many lawyers, journalists and writers, including a large number of bloggers and human rights activists. The Mandra site on the Internet is http://harakamasria.org/.7
April Youth Movement: It is an Egyptian political opposition movement which emerged in 2008, created by some Egyptian youth after the Egyptian general strike April 6, 2008, as response to the call of the Mahalla textile workers and the solidarity of the political forces, and youth adopted it and began to call for a general strike all over Egypt. Most members of this movement are young people who do not belong to a specific trend or a political party and the movement is keen not to adopt certain ideology to preserve its ideological diversity and to achieve the need for unification and coalition and rejection of dispute.
On 6 April 2008, some young people announced their solidarity with the strike of workers and adopted the idea of journalist Magdi Ahmed Hussein, who suggested the strike, should be in all Egypt, not only for workers. The movement began to make Facebook groups to spread the idea of the strike and send messages to Egyptian Facebook members (whose number reached to 70,000 in one group) calling for the strike. After a while some Egyptian newspapers talked about the strike idea and the movement and in a few days, messages randomly called for a general strike on 6 April.
Some parties and Egyptian opposition movements responded to the idea of the strike such as Kefaia, the Muslim Brotherhood (withdrew later), Karama Party, El Wasat Party, the Labor Party, the movement of property taxes personnel, the movement of administrators and workers in education sector, Egyptian Lawyers Association and 9th of March Movement (known as movement universities professors) and some intellectuals and bloggers and online activists. In a short time, the idea of the strike spread in all parts of Egypt and was under the name “Stay at Home”. It also called for demonstrations in several places in Cairo, Alexandria, and Mahalla. A number of its members were arrested after the implementation of the strike.
After the movement demonstrated outside the Press Syndicate in Cario, on June 28 2008, it appeared again in July 2008 and organized a march by some of the movement young people on the Corniche in the sea and one of Alexandria beaches, raised Egypt flags and sang some patriotic songs, but they were surprised by the siege of central security forces who arrested some of them, some other flew through the side streets in the area.8
National Assembly for change is a loose grouping Egyptians from all various political and religious affiliations, including representatives of civil society and young people aims to change in Egypt, and for this there was general agreement for the need to unite all voices calling for change within a National Assembly asked Mohamed ElBaradei, to be the leader and support it, so that it becomes a general framework under which all voices calling for change can gather.
The main objective of the Assembly is working to reach a political system based on actual democracy and social justice. The first achieve this is to ensure basic guarantees for free and fair elections involving all Egyptians, to provide an equal opportunity for all, in either legislative or presidential elections. This is a part of guarantees and procedures sought by broad categories of Egyptian society for many years, particularly:
- Ending the state of emergency.
- Enabling Egyptian judiciary to have full control on the whole electoral process.
- Supervising electoral process by the local civil society and international organizations
- Providing equal opportunities in the media for all candidates, especially in presidential election.
- Enabling Egyptians abroad to exercise their right to vote in Egyptian embassies and consulates.
- Ensuring the right of candidature in the presidential election without arbitrary restrictions in line with Egypt’s obligations to the International Convention for Civil and Political Rights, and limiting the right of candidature for the presidency to two terms.
- Voting by the national ID.9
- Modifying Article 76 of the Egyptian Constitution.
- Modifying Article 77 of the Egyptian Constitution which states that “Presidency term is six calendar years starting from the date of announcing the referendum results, and president may be re-elected for another term.
- Modifying Article 88 of the Egyptian Constitution which states that “The law defines the conditions to be found in members of People Assembly, shows the rules of election and referendum, voting takes place in one day. A supreme independent fair committee supervises election, as regulated by law, which specifies the responsibilities of the committee, the method of formation and guarantees of its members, provided that it should involve, current and former members of judicial bodies,. This supreme committee is responsible for establishing general committees, which oversee elections in all electoral districts, committees which exercise the voting procedures and sorting committees, provided that general committees should be established from the members of judicial bodies, and that sorting process must be done under the supervision of general committees, and all this must be done according to the rules and procedures prescribed by law. “10
H1: There are statistically significant differences between political movements’ members and media specialists in the efficient use of new media.
H2: There are statistically significant differences between political movements’ members and media specialists in the effectiveness of new media.
H3: There are statistically significant differences between political movements’ members and media specialists in the ability of new media means in making change in developing countries.
The study has an intentional sample of (100) media specialists (journalists – university professors, media researchers) and (100) members of political movements.
A field study was applied on specialists and political movements’ members to discuss:
- Uses and forms of new media by Egyptian political movements.
- The direct results in the short term from uses of new media by Egyptian political movements.
- Expected Results on the long-term from uses of new media by Egyptian political movements.
- Opportunities for making change through these media in developing societies such as Egypt.
- The relation between new media and information curtain (do they unfold information curtain? Or would they make their own curtain?)
This study used a questionnaire composed of five dimensions:
- Using new media by political movements.
- Evaluating Egyptian political movements’ use of the new media.
- The possibility of achieving change of reality through using new media.
- The political movements’ future use of the new media.
- Respondents’ data.
The questionnaire was administrated from March 2010 until May 2010 by direct interview with the respondents.
The preliminary form of the questionnaire was judged by 10 referees specialized in new media research and research methodology to examine its validity. Referees’ remarks were gathered and used in developing the final form of the questionnaire.
Analysis reliability was measured by re-analyzing one fourth of the questionnaire. The reliability coefficient between the two analyses was .96.
The order of new media as used by Egyptian political movements
Egyptian political movements depend on blogs, websites, chat rooms and e-mail more than forums, audio and video materials, SMS, online advertising, or telephone and web cams details as follows:
According to the specialists’ opinion, the order of communication media used by political movements was as follows: blogging came in the first place, followed by websites, e-mail, chat rooms, online advertising, forums, audio and video materials, online telephone, SMS, virtual reality techniques, and at last web cams.
According to the movements members’ opinion, the order of communication media used by political movements was as follows:, blogging was in the first place, then websites, chat rooms, e-mail, audio and video materials, forums, SMS, virtual reality techniques, online advertising, online telephone, and at last webcams.
According to the total sample’s opinion, the order of communication media used by political movements was as follows: blogging came in the first place, then websites, chat rooms, e-mail, forums, audio and video materials, SMS, online advertising, virtual reality techniques, online telephone, and at last webcams.
New Media Order According to Use by Political Movements
The nature of the Egyptian political movements and their relation to new media 29% of respondents saw a link between the Egyptian political movements and new media, and agreed that these movements are the result of new media, while 62% of them stress that these movements use these media and rely on them in continuing their activities, this can be noticed as follows:
Of the specialists, 66% said the Egyptian political movements use new media, and 53% said that Egyptian political movements imitate global movements. Also, 45% said that Egyptian political movements are the secretion of the Egyptian reality, while 34% said that Egyptian political movements are results of new media of communication. See Table 2.
Of the movements members, 84% said that Egyptian political movements are the secretion of the Egyptian reality, 58% said that these movements use new media, 24% said that Egyptian political movements are results of new media of communication and 19% said that Egyptian political movements imitate global movements.
Sixty-four percent of the respondents said that Egyptian political movements are the secretion of the Egyptian reality, and 62% of them said that these movements use new media. Thirty-six percent said that Egyptian political movements imitate global movements, while only 29% said that Egyptian political movements are results of new media of communication, as Table 2 indicates.
Nature of the Egyptian Political Movements and Their Relation to New Media
Cases occurred in reality as a result of Egyptian political movement’s use of the new media. The study sample affirms that 12 real cases occurred as a result of Egyptian political movement’s use of the new media.
Table 3 shows 29.7% of the specialists said sit-ins and protests were main use in reality of use of new media, 22.0% said participation in elections was main sue and 12.2% said paying attention to issues defended by the movements and the emergence of new movements was main use.
Table 3 also shows movements members had a different perspective with 33.9% saying said sit-ins and protests were main use in reality, 25.0% said sit-ins and demonstrations in the recent period was main use and 10.7% said the support of some political figures was main use.
According to 31.9% the total sample, main use was sit-ins and protests, while 15.5% said the response to most sit-ins and demonstrations in the recent period was main use and 9.3% said participation in elections and the emergence of new movements was main use, as Table 3 shows.
Uses Occurred in Reality as Result of Egyptian Political Movement’s Use of New Media
Members of the study sample identified 23 causes of making no change, in Egyptian reality, despite Egyptian political movements’ use of new media, some reasons are related to the ruling regime, others belong to the nature of society and reasons related to the movements, its nature and efficiency of their use of new media, details as follows:
Table 4 indicates 15.9% of the specialists said Egyptian political movements seeking personal purposes and interests was main reason for absence of change despite use of new media, while 11.4 said these movements do not reflect or represent the reality. Three reasons change does not occur are cited by 9.1%.
Table 4 shows 38.1% of the movements members said absence was change was because these movements are suppressed and controlled by the state security, while 19.0% said it was because change does not stem from these movements and 14.3% said it was because of the absence of the public will for change and the lack of solidarity on behave of a wide range of people.
Of the total sample 12.3% said absence of change was because those movements are suppressed and controlled by the state security, while12.3% said it was because they seek personal purposes and interests and 10.8%, said it was because these movements do not reflect or represent the reality.
Causes of No Change in Spite of Egyptian Political Movements’ Use of New Media
Respondents identified 37 changes that can happen in the future if Egyptian political movements more efficiently use new media, as follows:
In first place, 11.1% of the specialists put scattering society into groups and categories and public response to the calls of movements. Youth political participation, freedom of thought and opinion, and public awareness of the reality and the possibility of mobilizing them with a percentage were cited by 8.3%. Political mobilization, having an active role in political life, improving the country in all aspects of life, creating a public compressing opinion for change, participation of Egyptians abroad and the disappearance of traditional media were cited by 5.6%.
In first place, movements members put changing ruling regime with a percentage of 13%, followed by public awareness of the reality and the possibility of mobilizing them with a percentage of 11.1%. Then youth political participation, creating a public compressing opinion for change, modifying some articles of the Constitution were cited by 7.4%. Raising political awareness, emergence of new movements, increasing margin of freedom, cancellation of emergency law, enlightening public with rights and interests, more courage in protests and national and international with movements were cited by 5.6%, as Table 5 indicates.
In first place, total sample put public awareness of the reality and the possibility of mobilizing them with a percentage of 10%, followed by freedom of thought and opinion with a percentage of 8.9% and youth political participation and changing ruling regime with a percentage of 78%.
Changes That Can Occur in Future Reality, When Egyptian Political Movements Use New Means
Respondents identified 17 cases changes that can happen in the future when Egyptian political movements use new media, as Table 6 shows.
In first place, 34.9% of specialists identified constitutional amendments . Next came responding to some of the demonstrations and political participation cited by 16.3 %, followed by knowing of citizens’ rights and duties and freedom of opinion and expression cited by 9.3%.
Top pick by movements members was Baradei campaign on Facebook cited by 11.8%, followed by constitutional amendments, knowing of citizens’ rights and duties, making individuals aware with reality and more political mobility that could lead to public pressure to improve life conditions cited by 8.8%.
However, the total sample identified constitutional amendments as first with a percentage of 23.4%, followed by responding to some of the demonstrations and political participation knowing of citizens’ rights and duties cited by 9.1%.
Cases Which Can Occur in Future Reality When Egyptian Political Movements Use New Media
Respondents mentioned 17 reasons for the transformation of the Egyptian political movements to digital phenomena confined in cyberspace. Political parties formerly turned to press phenomena.
Table 7 shows the first reason specialists cited was that those movements do not seek the interests of society cited by 23.1%. Another 12.8% said they do not actually exist, while 7.7 said they are not sufficiently effective, their impact on reality is not clear, and lack of public awareness.
Movements members put illiteracy, poverty and security chases first with a percentage of 33.3%, followed by 26.7% who said restrictions put on the movements were the reason and 20% who said many negative techniques used to express themselves, like demonstrations, etc. with a percentage of 20%. was the reason.
Table 8 shows some specialists (15.6%) think that digital phenomena of those movements are confined to cyberspace is that they are not actually on the ground while 13.3% believe they only depend on electronic media and 8.9% think they are confined to certain categories and segments and do not represent the rest of society.
One fifth of the movements members said restrictions re the reason for this, while 14% said it was because movements are not actually on the ground and 12% said security checks were main reason.
Of the total sample, 14.7% said those movements are not found in reality 10.5% cited restrictions on them with as a percentage of and 9.5% said they only depend on electronic media.
Reasons for the Transformation of the Egyptian Political Movements to Digital Phenomena Confined in Cyberspace “Sometimes”
Those who said “no” identified 16 reasons why the Egyptian political movements did not convert to digital phenomena, as follows:
Table 9 shows one fourth of the specialists think reason those movements did not convert to digital phenomena was that they are still unknown, while 18.8% say they are not confined to cyberspace but also they spread to the rest of the media and the Egyptian street and 12.5% said today’s youth are those category who use of these media most.
Of the movements members, 17.1% said because they are not confined to cyberspace but also they spread to the rest of the media and the Egyptian street they helped in increasing the activists’ effectiveness and communication with public powers, and 14.3% said cyberspace is accompanied with the existence of street powers (strikes & demonstrations), while 11.4% said it was because the youth of today use these methods most and because cyberspace is accompanied by a strong presence in the street.
Of the total sample, 17.6% said put they are not confined to cyberspace but also they spread to the rest of the media and the Egyptian street. and 11.8% said followed because the youth of today are the ones that use digital media most widely used of these methods with a percentage.
Hypothesis 1: The first hypothesis states that “There are statistically significant differences between political movements’ members and media specialists in the efficient use of new media “. There are significant statistical differences between specialists and members of movements in the efficiency of the use of new methods.
Hypothesis 2: The second hypothesis states that: “There are statistically significant differences between political movements’ members and media specialists in the effectiveness of new media.” This hypothesis is confirmed.
Hypothesis 3: The third hypothesis states that” There are statistically significant differences between political movements’ members and media specialists in the ability of new media means in making change in developing countries. This hypothesis is confirmed.
In all three cases, movements members rate new media higher than the specialists do.
Amen Said Abel-Ghany is an assistant professor and chair in the Media Education Department at Mansura University in Egypt.


There are at least two general approaches you can take when beginning your speech or message. You can begin with a . . . .
Perry Mason Approach
If you have seen both series — then you are around my age — and you realize that there are two approaches to framing a murder mystery. Our family used to sit around the television and watch Perry Mason on Friday evenings. Each of us would take a guess near the end of that particular episode as to who was guilty. You had to call it before Perry Mason got the killer to admit he was guilty. Even in the last minutes of the trial while individuals were testifying on the stand, you were changing your mind. “Who done it” was revealed in the very last minutes! — followed by a final few closing minutes of how Perry Mason figured it all out at the end.
Then Columbo came to TV, and it became the new American mystery series to watch in the 70’s. However, with Columbo, the approach was radically changed! The viewer found out who the murderer was within the early minutes of the episode. Now it was up to Columbo to figure out who did it. The viewer watched Columbo step his way through the various events and possible clues, moving him closer and closer to identifying the guilty person(s). “Who done it” was known from the beginning and you watched it move to that revelation.
I am sure you see the very point I am about to make when I say “Perry Mason or Columbo. These two series capture the two different approaches to presentation.
A speaker can lay out the aim, the Big Idea, the point of the speech or message at or near the beginning — within the early minutes of the speech/message.
A speaker can take a journey with the audience, moving step by step, closer and closer to the point(s) he wants to establish — nearer the end.*
I would imagine that many, if not most, speakers begin with the Columbo approach — stating their aim – goal – purpose – main or big idea — right up front.
The Columbo approach would probably begin or sound something like this . . . .
Today, we are going to answer the question, How do you get through the trials of life with joy — James 1 — How does a person go through troubles and still have a joy in his or her heart?
Turn to Ephesians 3 as we look at the mystery of the church. Paul is going to lay out for us the background of where the idea of the church came from in the plan and program of God. That is Paul’s aim in the first verses of Ephesians chapter 3.
What are the differences between the seven churches in the book of Revelation, and which one would typify us? We are going to look at the seven church of Revelation and see their differences as well as some of the characteristics which may mark a church, maybe our church – today.
The speaker is announcing to the audience the “end of the story” up front. There is no “mystery” for the listeners to figure out. They know where they are headed, and the rest of the message will be focused on getting there.
If you were to leave before the end of the message you still know the point which is going to be made, you know the “who done it.”
At the beginning the audiences knows understands the point of the message. Then, that is followed by a presentation of information which moves the audience to that announced point or those points. The end comes at the beginning.
The Perry Mason approach would probably begin or sound something like this . . . .
Joseph is the second youngest of 12 brothers. There are four basic chapters in his life which contribute to establishing of a biblical principle which is both illustrated and then stated at the end of Joseph’s trial and at the end of his life.
The first chapter in Joseph’s life begins in Genesis 37, where he is the favored son of Jacob. That favor is reflected in what we call – a coat of many colors . . . . yada . . . . yada . . . . yada . . . .
The second chapter in Joseph’s life begins with a plot to kill him . . . . yada . . . . yada . . . . yada . . . .
The next chapter takes place in Egypt where Joseph must now navigate through the injustice of both his brothers and a scorned woman. . . . yada . . . .yada . . . . yada . . . .
The final chapter in Joseph’s trial begins with Joseph as “prince” of Egypt . . . . yada . . . . yada . . . . yada . . . . He has his brothers standing before him and he says, “I am Joseph!” . . . . yada . . . . yada . . . . yada . . . .
Now, it is at this point where Joseph is going to tell his brothers and us how he was able to navigate through all that has happened and arrive at a place of spiritual growth and personal peace in light of the many wrongs with which he has had to deal.
Joseph now tells us as he responds to his brothers – there in the land of Egypt – how he has not turned bitter, but how he is a better person . . . . “God sent me here” . . . . Later on, he is going to say it this way, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” . . . . Joseph’s thinking and heart’s attitude lead him to do what was right and avoid revenge . . . .
It will only be as we see God’s hand and working in our lives amidst the trials – troubles – problems – tests – painful experiences – long days and even years of discouragement and disappointment — that there is hope for stability in our lives. It will only be as we can talk to ourselves and listen to that truth that this is God at work — that God wants to both reveal and test us in and through the situations of life — that we will make it through better and not bitter . . . .
With the Perry Mason approach, the speaker is holding off the audience. The speaker is moving somewhere, and the audience is waiting to hear the main driving idea(s) of the message. The end is at the end. You must wait until the end to hear the conclusion of the whole message. If you must leave before the end of the message you miss the “who done it.”
Note: While it seems like narrative portions of Scripture (much of the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the book of Acts) lend themselves more readily to the “Perry Mason” approach, that is not actually true. The Perry Mason approach also works with grammatical portions of Scripture. There are many biblical truths which are found at the end of a particular grammatical passage. Verses in a Psalm, or a section of Proverbs, or in a section of a New Testament epistle can and do lead to – move toward – a main or culminating idea(s).
As you listen to various messages, and/or think about your own approach, say to yourself — Perry Mason or Columbo?
As you listen to various speakers, and/or think about your own speaking, ask yourself — Am I primarily Perry Mason or Columbo?
As you consider varying your approach, see if you can flip it from a Perry Mason approach to a Columbo approach, or flip it from a Columbo approach to a Perry Mason approach.
It is not that one approach is inherently better than another.
Sometimes one or the other approach will simply NOT work by the very nature of the passage.
At other times, one approach is what naturally works with the passage, especially when it comes to narrative accounts. However, even with narrative accounts which typically lend themselves to a “Perry Mason Approach,” you do not have to begin by announcing the aim or Big Idea. Hold the audience off until near the end.
At other times you will be using the Perry Mason or the Columbo approach, but you simply have not consciously identified it as such in your mind. If you do not know what you are doing it is problematic to change it up.
Sometimes you can use both approaches. An example of this is found in Luke 18:1ff where Luke begins by announcing the purpose of the parable in Luke 18:1 and then the parable which Jesus gave is stated, which is a story which leads to a point and that point.
Nevertheless, consciously recognize how you are approaching the passage and/or decide if you want to change the way you are doing it.
Think about adding variety to your approach – conscious variety – and avoiding the “same old same old.”
*I do not like the terms, but sometimes this is called an “Inductive” and a “Deductive” Approach. These terms are really terms of logic, not arrangement, but I understand how they are used this way.


To sound younger try using the higher pitch of your voice and raise Adam’s apple. Also, speak faster, louder and more enthusiastically to capture the manner of a young person. Lastly, eliminate the breathy qualities of your voice, add vocal fry, avoid soft speech and hoarse voice.
Raise the pitch
A higher pitched voice is associated more with younger people. Therefore, use a higher pitch of your voice to sound younger
To achieve a younger, higher pitch voice try to speak from an upper part of your face. It should feel as if the voice was coming from above the palette of your mouth.
You can read more about achieving a higher pitch voice in this article.
Raise the Adam’s apple
Learn to adjust your Adam’s apple position to be able to change the pitch of your voice at will. This will help to go between the regular to a younger version of your voice faster.
Raise the tongue to almost reach the roof of your mouth to position your Adam’s apple higher. This exercise will increase the pitch of your voice.
Also, practice lowering your Adam’s apple and voice to learn to control the voice better. You can lower Adam’s apple by placing the tongue onto the bottom of your mouth.
Sounding young is not all about the pitch of your voice, it’s also the manner of your speech that matters. To better understand a young character try to imagine what it feels to be like one.
Young people generally tend to speak fast. That’s because they often speak first and think later. While, on the other hand, with age, we tend to ponder and draw out sentences.
To sound young increase the speed of your speech. You can do so by practicing reading your script or a book at a faster pace than usual.
Sound naive and curious
With age, we tend to experience more and we become less fazed by whatever is happening around us. On the other hand, young people tend to experience new things all the time. Thus young people often sound puzzled, curious and naive.
Therefore, it makes sense to sound slightly naive or curious when impersonating a young character.
Once in a while, you can even convert some statement sentences to questions to make your character sound a bit doubtful and uncertain.
Again, everything is new and exciting for young people. So, add a bit of excitement to your voice. Don’t be afraid to shout in excitement or finish sentences at a faster pace.
You can practice sounding excited by reading brochures or manual instructions in the most excited voice you can achieve. If you manage to show emotions while reading a manual, you can do it while performing any script.
Lose the breathy voice
As we tend to get older our voice becomes breathy due to the loss of vocal muscles. The breathy voice is created by vocal cords not closing down fully when we speak, which allows extra air to pass through, thus creating a breathy voice.
Hence, a breathy voice is associated with older age, meaning you want to lose it if you plan to sound young.
If you have a breathy voice, try to do the opposite of a breathy voice, which is adding some vocal fry.
Vocal fry is “ahhh” sound that is induced by not enough air coming through your vocal cords. It creates a crackling sound that is more prevalent among younger people.
To lose a breathy voice, try maintaining vocal fry with “ahhh” sound. Then introduce vocal fry while speaking and gradually lower vocal fry to achieve a more normal sounding voice, just without breath.
If you have a good imagination, you can try thinking of the vocal cords as a light source. If it’s a tight beam of light then your vocal cords are compressed and you sound young with no breathiness. A wide light source will decompress your vocal cords and make you sound breathy and old.
Make yourself loud. With age, our voices become softer and we tend to speak quieter due to the loss of vocal capacity. To make your voice sound younger keep it at a higher volume.
If you can exhale more air, that will help to produce more volume and sound younger.
You can try the following to enhance breathing capabilities:
- Diaphragm breathing
- Holding the breathing
Belly breathing exercises can help to utilize your diaphragm for deeper breathing. It will help to produce more volume and perform other vocal techniques with more ease which will all help to sound younger.
Avoid hoarse voice
The human voice becomes hoarse due to the stress it endures. You will rarely find young people with hoarse voices. On the other hand, as we age, vocal cords can get damaged when overusing the voice and start sounding hoarse.
You can get a hoarse voice by speaking at an unnatural pitch of your voice for a prolonged period, shouting, smoking or drinking.
Anything that can damage vocal cords will make your voice sound hoarse and you want to avoid it if you plan on sounding young.
If you have a hoarse voice, try resting and using it less. Also, make sure you don’t speak in unnaturally high or low pitch for too long.
By preserving vocal cords and avoiding certain bad habits you can keep your voice sounding naturally younger for longer.
Edit your voice
Finally, if you are recording and don’t perform live you can make your voice sound a bit younger by editing it in post.
Use the change pitch effect and add a few semitones to make your voice higher pitched. Then, try increasing the tempo to make it faster paced.
In addition, cutting some of the low-end frequencies using EQ will help to reduce some bass that we associate with maturity and older age. You can follow EQ settings in the picture below to make your voice recording sound younger.


We spend a lot of time before starting recorder getting used to the reading the music staff. These worksheets are great to give students extra practice labeling pitches on the music staff. I assign these worksheets for about the first five minutes of class at various days during the recorder unit. For the first few times, I don't make them finish in a minute, but give them 2 to 3. As they get better, I shorten the time to one minute. The students also get to race against me in filling them out (I give them a 10-15 second head start - they love it). I used to just use B-A-G and B-A-G-E, but now I've created a full set that follows the notes the students learn.
A Mad Minute Example - B-A-G-E
I also have a set of three music spelling worksheets. The first two (Lines Spelling and Spaces Spelling) are just for practice. The third (Lines and Spaces Spelling) I give as a quiz.


Calving Cows on Cornstalks – Nutritional Considerations
Calving season is getting underway and many producers choose to calve out on cornstalk fields. Residue fields can be a good place to maintain cowherds until cool season grasses are available but often times, calving occurs during February and March to avoid the busy farming responsibilities later in the spring.
Lactation begins while the cows are on low quality forage (50% total digestible nutrients or TDN) and supplying 2-2.5 lb of a 20% crude protein supplement will only provide the cow with about 13 lb of TDN per day. Once lactation occurs a 1200 lb cow will need about 15-16 lb of TDN. If enough residue still exits for the cows to consume 27-28 lb per day, then supplementing with approximately 5 lb (as is basis) of dried distillers grains could provide the needed 15 lb of TDN.
Using the residue field simply as a feeding area, a producer could feed approximately 28 lb of alfalfa hay (about 58% TDN, 18% CP) and 3 lb of corn on an as is basis and provide 15 lb of TDN as well.
Knowing the amount of residue available is important. Also, producers need to keep in mind that once the cows start selecting the highest quality residue, the TDN available decreases. The best quality residue is the husks and leaves and what residual corn the cows can find. The stalks are poorer quality (only about 35% TDN) and are not selected by the cattle until the more desirable parts are gone.
There is a very helpful formula to help producers estimate how long a field should be grazed. There are about 16 lb of good quality residue dry matter produced for each bushel of grain produced. Only about half of that is available to the animal because it gets trampled, soiled, or blows away. So if a field produced 200 bushels of corn per acre, then there is about 1600 lb of good quality residue on a dry matter basis available per acre (200*8). If the 1200 lb lactating cow and her new calf are going to need about 29 lb of dry matter per day, then one acre should last them approximately 55 days. This is an estimate for stocking guidelines and can be impacted by weather, size of the cow, age of the calf, and other factors.
Cornstalk residue utilization is a great way for producers to integrate crops and livestock. Maintaining cows on residue can be an economical choice, but additional feed costs will be necessary when calving on residues and lactation increases the energy demands of the cow.
For more information on meeting the nutritional needs of the cow see NebGuide G2268 Supplementation Needs for Gestating and Lactating Beef Cows and Comparing the Prices of Supplement Sources (PDF version, 976KB) or visit the Cow-calf, Bull and Heifer Nutrition and Management page.
Karla H. Jenkins
UNL Cow/Calf, Range Management Specialist


In 1977, famed computer scientist Donald Knuth decided he didn’t like the typesetting of the second edition of The Art of Computer Programming. Rather than unhappily accept the results of photographic typesetting techniques, Knuth invented his own digital typesetting solution, TeX, which would eventually become the standard typesetting system for mathematical and academic content. Wikipedia displays math content using a variant of TeX, and research papers from a large range of fields are very commonly submitted in TeX format.
Our team recently added the ability to understand TeX notation and convert it to the Mathematica form used by the powerful Wolfram|Alpha engine. We’ve received many requests for this functionality from people who use Wolfram|Alpha for advanced math and physics. It’s often easy and natural to write mathematics using TeX, whereas it can otherwise be quite difficult to express clearly in plaintext notation.
The beauty of this new capability is that one can now see, compute, and understand typeset mathematics all through the union of TeX notation and Wolfram|Alpha computation. Complicated expressions are now easily represented using the elegance of TeX: More »
Renowned physicist Enrico Fermi’s name is synonymous with a type of estimation problem often illustrated by the classic question, “How many piano tuners are there in Chicago?” Finding a “Fermi estimate” of this number would typically involve multiplying a series of rough estimates, such as the population of Chicago, an approximate number of households owning pianos, the frequency with which a typical piano might be tuned, and so on. It’s unlikely that anyone would arrive at a precise, correct answer through this method, but a Fermi estimate should at least be able to generate an answer that is approximately the right order of magnitude.
A Fermi estimate usually seeks to measure a quantity that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to actually measure. “Piano tuners in Chicago” may have fallen into that category several decades ago, but as Wolfram|Alpha can now demonstrate, things have changed:
We recently overhauled our data on jobs and salaries in the United States, adding Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on more than 800 detailed occupations at the national, state, and metropolitan area levels. Which means Wolfram|Alpha can’t quite get you to an exact measurement of the number of piano tuners in Chicago (and presumably, many of them must at least dabble in other instruments), but it can come surprisingly close.
Wolfram|Alpha can also compute a number of interesting statistics that aren’t obvious from the source data, such as the fact that Chicago has quite a high density of musical instrument tuners and repairers—roughly 2.3 times the national average workforce fraction for this occupation—and that their median wage is roughly 1.3 times the national average. And it can also provide helpful context for any occupation, computing employment and wage information for related jobs and sub-specialties, according to BLS classifications.
You can also perform all kinds of interesting comparisons, of course: try asking Wolfram|Alpha to “compare producers and actors employment in California”, for example, or “garbage collectors vs waiters salaries in New York City”. Or if you’re contemplating a cross-country move, you might be interested to see a comparison between “computer programmers salaries in Seattle vs Philadelphia”.
And if you need to access salary and job-related data often, you can create your own Wolfram|Alpha Widgets tailored for specific jobs and regions. You can easily customize widgets, like the one below, and embed them in your website and share with your social networks.
Secrets can be so hard to keep—especially when your loyal users are anxiously awaiting news of a new app for a certain mobile platform! Today we’re excited to share with you that the Wolfram|Alpha App for Android will be available on October 6, 2010. We’re also pleased to announce that we’re teaming up with T-Mobile to launch the Wolfram|Alpha App for Android for the new T-Mobile® G2™ with Google™!
The Wolfram|Alpha App for Android delivers the full power of the Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge engine, providing you with a massive knowledge base of factual information in the palm of your hand. With the T-Mobile G2, the Wolfram|Alpha app takes advantage of the blazing fast 4G speeds of T-Mobile’s network to get you answers in an instant. Combining the power of the G2 with the power of Wolfram|Alpha creates an extraordinary experience for knowledge on the go.
Using Android’s native voice input capability, you can speak your queries to Wolfram|Alpha and get your answers hands-free. The app integrates Wolfram|Alpha’s growing repository of curated data, including over ten trillion data elements, and its library of tens of thousands of sophisticated computational models, to deliver knowledge quickly and seamlessly, on demand, anywhere. It also leverages the advanced screen capabilities of Android 2.2, providing sharp, high-resolution results. More »
We recently hosted the inaugural Wolfram Data Summit 2010 in Washington, DC. The summit brought together key people responsible for the world’s great data repositories to exchange ideas, learn from each others’ experiences, and develop innovative data management strategies for the future.
The summit officially opened with a keynote address from Stephen Wolfram, Wolfram Research CEO and creator of Wolfram|Alpha. In his talk, Stephen discussed the complex nature of gathering systematic knowledge and data, explained how Mathematica helps with the challenges of making all data computable, and hinted at some new technologies you can expect from us in the near future. You can read more in the transcript of Stephen’s talk below.
Every day the Sun crosses the sky, rising in the east and setting in the west, but in detail its path is different every time. If it is winter, or if you live in the north, the Sun is lower and stays closer to the southern horizon. While the time of year and the location have similar effects, they act independently on the overall path. The Sun’s path is unique for your place and time.
You can see the sunpath today at your location; the default is the perspective of looking toward the southern horizon.
The autumnal equinox is tonight (in North America), but in Pyramid Point (a place close to the equator in the Pacific), the equinox will occur Thursday, close to noon, when the Sun will be almost overhead. More »
I spent a decade of my life writing A New Kind of Science. Most of that time was devoted to discovering the science in the book. But another part was spent figuring out how to present the science in the best possible way—using words and pictures.
It took a lot of technology to do that presentation. On the software side, the biggest part was using Mathematica to create elaborate algorithmic diagrams—thousands of them. But then came the question of how to actually deliver everything. And back in 2002 when A New Kind of Science was published, the only real possibility was to print a book on paper, using the very best printing technology of the time.
The actual print production process was quite an adventure—going right to the edge of what was possible. But in the end we got many compliments on the object we produced. And from that time to this, that 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) lump of paper has been the definitive representation of my decade-plus of intellectual work.
But today I’m excited to be able to say that there’s something new and in some ways even better: a full version on the iPad.
Recently, as students head back to school, we’ve written quite a bit about Wolfram|Alpha’s mathematics capabilities. But those of you who don’t have quite as much interest in, say, transfinite cardinal arithmetic, can rest assured that we haven’t stopped adding more general pop culture data to the system.
One of our latest features is detailed U.S. box office data, with information on total, weekend, and in many cases even daily receipts for motion pictures. So if you want to see how a recently released film is doing in theaters, just ask about its box office totals. For example, try “eat pray love box office“. Or maybe you’d like to look back and compare some of the summer’s biggest blockbusters. Try “box office for iron man 2, toy story 3, inception” for a quick comparison; to make it even easier to compare several films released on different dates, click the “Show by weeks since release” button to align the movies’ start dates. In this case, it’s easy to see that although Iron Man 2 had the strongest opening of the three, its revenue also fell off more steeply in the following weeks.
You’re not limited to films released this summer, of course—if you’re a fan of director Christopher Nolan’s work, you might like to see how well Inception compares to his previous directorial effort, The Dark Knight. Or maybe you’d like to compare two other cinematic heavy-hitters to see which one held the #1 box office rank longer. More »
If you’re keeping a close eye on the U.S. economy—and who isn’t, these days?—you probably noticed yesterday’s news that retail sales increased in August for the second month in a row. But you may not have noticed that Wolfram|Alpha is now picking up these Department of Commerce reports as soon as they are released, and allows you to explore and compute U.S. retail sales data so you can better understand these trends.
Try simply asking Wolfram|Alpha about “U.S. retail sales” and you’ll see the latest monthly figure, along with automatic computations of that number as a per capita value and as a fraction of total U.S. GDP, as well as the annual growth rate for overall retail sales. To filter out the seasonal variation in many sales categories, you can also ask for “seasonally adjusted retail sales“—which more clearly shows the retail sector’s dramatic plunge in late 2008.
You can also explore trends in individual retail categories (click “More” in the “Retail sales categories” pod for a detailed list), such as clothing stores or electronic shopping and mail order houses.
Or you can mash up this retail sales data with other economic data in Wolfram|Alpha. Try comparing retail sales at building-supply dealers with housing starts, for example, or retail sales at jewelry stores compared with civilian unemployment. (Note that advance figures for August aren’t available for all individual retail categories, so Wolfram|Alpha will default to the latest available values.) More »
Our first Wolfram|Alpha Back-to-School Webinars were met with so much interest and enthusiasm that we’re announcing three more opportunities for you to participate!
Sign up today for one of our Wolfram|Alpha Back-to-School Webinars and discover powerful new ways to advance learning in your classroom. The hour-long webinar gives you an overview and demonstration of the Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge engine, including the recently launched Widget Builder (beta).
Administrators, parents, and students will also benefit from these webinars.
To register for a webinar, please click one of the three sessions listed below. Registration is free and takes just a few minutes. A copy of the presentation will also be made available to those who attend.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 9am Pacific Time
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 2pm Pacific Time
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 5pm Pacific Time
We look forward to having you and your colleagues join us for an upcoming webinar!
The inaugural Wolfram Data Summit 2010 has officially drawn to a close. We’d like to thank the presenters and participants for contributing to the success of this year’s conference.
We look forward to sharing more photos and summaries with you next week. In the meantime, we invite you to visit our earlier post, “A Look Inside the Wolfram Data Summit 2010,” and catch up on interesting insights and commentary shared by participants on the Twitter hashtag #WolframSummit.
The concept of infinity has been fraught with paradox since antiquity. For this reason, Aristotle sought to banish it from his physics, claiming that there were no actual infinities in nature—only potential infinities. Over a millennium later, medieval scholars offered the following example when asked why infinity was forbidden.
Imagine two concentric circles. Each circle contains infinitely many points along its circumference, but since the outer circle has a greater circumference, it has more points than the inner circle. Now take any point A on the outer circle, and draw a line from A to the circle’s center. This line must intersect some point B on the circumference of the inner circle. Hence, for every point A on the outer circle, there is a corresponding point B on the inner circle, and vice versa. Therefore, both circles must have the same number of points, despite the fact that the outer circle appears to have more points than the inner circle. More »
The Wolfram Data Summit 2010 opened this morning in Washington, DC. The inaugural event brings together key people responsible for the world’s great data repositories to exchange ideas, learn from each others’ experiences, and develop innovative data management strategies for the future.
The summit officially opened this morning with a keynote address from Stephen Wolfram, Wolfram Research CEO and creator of Wolfram|Alpha. Topics being presented and discussed at the summit include data curation methods, automated data collection, data linguistics, crowdsourcing, the democratization of data, and more.
The Wolfram Data Summit 2010 will continue through Friday, September 10. We invite you to follow the Twitter hashtag #WolframSummit to participate in the conversation and to get interesting insights and commentary from Wolfram Data Summit participants.
A new school year is here, and many students are diving into new levels of math. Fortunately, this year, you have Wolfram|Alpha to help you work through math problems and understand new concepts. Wolfram|Alpha contains information from the most basic math problems to advanced and even research-level mathematics. If you are not yet aware of Wolfram|Alpha’s math capabilities, you are about to have a “wow” moment. For the Wolfram|Alpha veterans, we have added many math features since the end of the last school year. In this post, we’re highlighting some existing Wolfram|Alpha math essentials, such as adding fractions, solving equations, statistics, and examples from new topics areas like cusps and corners, stationary points, asymptotes, and geometry.
You can access the computational power of Wolfram|Alpha through the free website, via Wolfram|Alpha Widgets, with the Wolfram|Alpha App for iPhone, iPod touch, and the iPad! Even better, the Wolfram|Alpha Apps for iPhone, and iPod touch, and the iPad are now on sale in the App Store for $0.99 though September 12.
If you need to brush up on adding fractions, solving equations, or finding a derivative, Wolfram|Alpha is the place to go. Wolfram|Alpha not only has the ability to find the solutions to these math problems, but also to show one way of reaching the solution with the “Show Steps” button. Check out the post “Step-by-Step Math” for more on this feature.
You can find this widget, and many others, in the Wolfram|Alpha Widget Gallery. Customize or build your own to help you work through common math problems. Then add these widgets to your website or blog, and share them with friends on Facebook and other social networks.
Of course, Wolfram|Alpha also covers statistics and probability. For example, Wolfram|Alpha can compute coin tossing probabilities such as “probability of 21 coin tosses“, and provides information on normal distribution: More »
We’re continually looking for new ways to make accessing and sharing knowledge from Wolfram|Alpha simpler. As a result, we’ve introduced a new tool that allows you to share and bookmark knowledge directly from any Wolfram|Alpha results page.
With the new “Bookmark & Share” features, you can easily post Wolfram|Alpha results to Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and Reddit. Hover over the more icon ( + ) to share via email, bit.ly, Tumblr, and dozens of other social networking and sharing sites.
We look forward to sharing more tools and site enhancements with you in the near future. And as always, we love hearing ideas on how we can continue to make Wolfram|Alpha a fun experience for you!


Notes from the IPID ICT4D PG symposium 2008, Mekrijärvi Research Station, Joensuu University, Finland. 8 and 9 September, 2008.
Gudrun Wicander, Karlstadt University:
The Use of Mobile Telephones as a Tool for Capture Statistical Data
A need for efficient management of primary education, based on an education management information system (EMIS) in developing countries (Tanzania). But how do we collect data in these communities? Can mobile phones help in this?
First, a mapping of the information flow in primary education administration and the data flow within EMIS was drawn. Second step will be mapping mobile phone ownership and use.
Background: rise in enrolment rates in Tanzania, with retention and drop out problems due to overcrowding, financing and inefficiency problems, etc. Timely and accurate school data is necessary to allocate per-capita funding for the school and provide a central government with appropriate management information to support planning. Existing pilot study in Kenya run by John Traxler, University of Wolverhampton in 2006, showing many benefits from using SMS and mobile phones for data transmission: speed, (low) cost, etc.
Instead, if done by paper, a lot of data are not processed, as it has to run through (bureaucratic) many levels.
The idea would be how to use the mobile phones that everybody has — and not handhelds that almost nobody has — to make a more flexible structure of data collecting, sending and processing.
Ugo Vallauri, University of London: The Landscape of e-agriculture in the Kenyan context
is an emerging field in the intersection of agricultural informatics, agricultural development and entrepreneurship, referring to agricultural services, technology dissemination, and information exchanged or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies. More specifically, it involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and application of new (innovative) ways to use existing or emerging information and communication technologies (ICT) (FAO).
- In Kenya there is a focus on (agriculture) market information through several devices and conduits… but who does it benefit? It involves empowerment of dealers.
- e-Agriculture also focus on information on crops, on exportation, on higher sales. But the scheme can collapse if market behaviours are unreliable.
- And third, most times projects are “technology hungry”, where relevance of content is let aside
Guiding lines in research:
- work with communities choosing to integrate ICTs in their lives/works
- participate, not impose a point of view
- choose partners building on existing infrastructure, simple solutions
Teemu Laine, University of Joensuu: Contextual Mathematics Through Pervasive M-Learning Technologies for Developing Countries
Plenty of “smart” objects, connected through wireless networks, and with pervasive penetration.
What about: learning facilitated by a (smart) mobile device in a context-aware environment, providing contextualized content depending on your location.
The experience of SciMyst,
a pervasive mobile adventure game with multi-player characteristics for supporting social interaction among the players. SciMyst system can be perfectly adapted for education.
MathMyst: ethnomathematics with pervasive m-learning. Should work with usual, cheap end-user mobile phones.
Joseph Kizito Bada, Makerere University/University of Joensuu: The Potential of Web 2.0 for building HIV/AIDS Preventive Knowledge network among students and teachers in Uganda
Strong commitment of the government of Uganda to fight HIV/AIDS. Lots of projects run by several and different institutions to do so by using ICTs to inform and raise awareness: discussion lists, websites, mobile games, etc.
The purpose of the research is to design, develop and evaluate educational web software to fight HIV/AIDS. What are the best practices, what has to be taken into account when designing such software, etc.
The pedagogical methodology followed is constructivism.
The development research approach is twofold: practical and innovative ways of solving real problems, by relying in problem solving; and proposing general design principles to inform future decisions.
Features: social networking, video on real life experiences, preventive educational content with online assessment, open source software.
Joseph Kizito Bada (2006) An Empirical Study on Education Strategy to E-learning in a Developing Country .


Getting older is a natural human process, but it doesn’t have to be unpleasant. Keep reading for tips on how to slow the effects of aging on your body (and mind).
Our skin is the largest organin our body, yet it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. Dry skin may be a sign that your body is in need of something more than a face mask—in fact, simply drinking water is one of the most effective forms of care you can give to your skin. With our bodies being made up of 50-65% water, it’s only logical that water keeps us functioning.
The standard recommendation is to drink eight glasses of water per day, which can seem daunting. If you find yourself constantly feeling dehydrated, try making it a habit to carry a bottle of water with you everywhere you go and sip consistently. If you’re thirsty, drink some water before opting for an iced coffee. Drinking water on a regular basis can help to replenish and increase the elasticity of the skin, which can lead to brighter skin and fewer wrinkles down the road.
Similar to how water should be consumed on a slow and steadybasis rather than all at once, consider eating several small meals throughout the day, rather than a few big ones. When you eat, your body produces insulin which should be happening at a steady pace rather than a few big spikes throughout the day.
If you find yourself suddenly feeling really hungry between meals, you might want to consider breaking your three meals into six, or possibly even intermittent fasting, which means having an eight-hour window of eating, and a 16-hour food-free window (water is allowed!). This can help to boost your metabolism and prevent insulin spikes and cellular harm, which can lead to the development of diseases such as diabetes and vascular diseases.
It’s important to keep quality andquantity in mind, no matter how you choose to schedule your meals. A healthy diet with minimal processed foods and sugars can aid in weight loss for the near future, and disease prevention for the long run.
Aches and pains don’t need to be a normal part of life. Regular exercise doesn’t have to mean going to the gym every day, but it does mean making a conscious effort to move your body, especially if you have a job which requires a lot of sitting. Author Bernard Duvivier, M.D., Ph.D, recommends replacing at least two hours per day of sitting time with standing and moving around whenever possible—going for a walk at lunch, standing up for a phone call, or working at a standing desk, for example.
A study at the University of Birmingham showed that older people who had exercised throughout most of their lives had similar muscle mass, cholesterol levels, and immune system function of much younger populations. Exercising can also provide mental benefits, such as reduced depression and anxiety and increased overall cognitive function.
Another benefit of exercise is stress reduction, which is essential to aging well. Chronic stress can be hard on your mind, but it’s also hard on your body—it literally shortens the length of your DNA strands, which is a cause of many chronic diseases and premature deaths.
Depending on your preferences and lifestyle, you may find yourself relaxing through yoga or meditation, socializing, spending time on a hobby, or being outdoors. No matter what you prefer, you should always be making sure you get enough sleep and spend time on self-care; seeking professional mental help can also reduce chronic stress, which will be sure to benefit you in the long run.


Presenting classical thermodynamics as a concise and discrete whole, "Mere Thermodynamics" is a perfect tool for teaching a notoriously difficult subject.
Accomplished teacher Don S. Lemons introduces the physical theory's concepts and methods and uses them to solve problems from a broad range of physics. He illustrates, at a gentle pace, not only the fundamentals of the subject but also advanced topics such as the relationship between the second law of thermodynamics and entropy. He highlights the intellectual structure and history of the discipline and explores the logical consequences of each of the famous three laws. Lemons explains and develops the first two laws and their corollaries, the methods and applications of thermodynamics, and the third law, as well as non-fluid variables, equilibrium and stability, and two-phase systems.
The book features end-of-chapter practice problems, an appendix of worked problems, a glossary of terms, and an annotated bibliography.


Gentleness, which can be defined as a mildness of manners or disposition, is often lacking in our modern world. It is a trait we all should cultivate, but it should not be confused with weakness or a lack of resolve.
Ours is an age too often marked by hostility, malice and cutthroat competition, rather than compassion and reasonableness.
‘Gentleness’ is a manifestation of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and consists in kindness, consideration and amiability in our reactions towards others. The Greek word for gentleness is epieikes, and can be translated as “graciousness,” “courtesy” or “moderation.”
The example of Elijah shows godly gentleness doesn’t come naturally. As a prophet of God he boldly denounced sin, seeming to fear no one. On one occasion he called fire down from heaven in a magnificent display of his (and God’s) disapproval of lawlessness. He then proceeded to lead a band of men to execute hundreds of pagan prophets who were devotees of the wicked Queen Jezebel and engaging in human sacrifice (1 Kings 18:36-40).
When Jezebel heard about Elijah slaughtering the heathen priests, she ordered his arrest and execution. As a result of this threat the normally resolute man of God flees for his life and, after 40 days on the run, finds himself at Mount Horeb (Sinai) where he seeks refuge in a cave (1 Kings 19:1-8).
God asks Elijah why he fled, and Elijah bitterly replies that although he was “very zealous” for the truth, his only reward was the threat of a death sentence (1 Kings 19:9-10).
God then reveals His power to Elijah in three different ways. Firstly, a fierce wind rips boulders loose from the mountain. Then a mighty quake shakes the land, and thirdly a fire suddenly flares. After this display of His power, God then speaks to Elijah in a “still small voice,” showing him, as the Expositor’s Bible Commentary notes: “Even God does not always operate in the realm of the spectacular!” (Vol. 4, p. 150).
God apparently wanted to teach Elijah there is a time to act strongly and loudly, but other times call for a gentler approach and Elijah needed to trust God, even though his life had been threatened and it appeared God was not intervening.
The disciples of Jesus Christ learned this same lesson. Like Elijah, they mistakenly thought ferocity was the ideal behaviour for a servant of God and, as He had with Elijah, God intervened through Jesus Christ to show them they were wrong.
When the disciples were traveling to Jerusalem, they tried to find lodging in a Samaritan city, but the Samaritans refused to allow Jews to enter (Luke 9:51-53). Because they felt snubbed, James and John wanted to duplicate Elijah’s miracle of destruction by fire. But Jesus “... turned and rebuked them,” letting them know their attitude was not right because the “Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:54-56).
When treated unfairly or unkindly it is very easy to react in the same way, adversely affecting relationships and setting the wrong example as a Christian. In what is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us: “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . Blessed are the meek . . . Blessed are the merciful . . . Blessed are the pure in heart . . . Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:1-9).
The Apostle Paul, formerly the violent and persecuting Saul of Tarsus, also eventually learned the gentleness of God, just as Elijah did, and he exhorts Christians to “Let your gentleness be known to all men” (Philippians 4:5).
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Entry 1379, on 2012-04-20 at 21:46:01 (Rating 2, Comments)
If I gave you a piece of paper and asked you to fold it in half, then half again (so that it was then four layers thick), then again, and again, how many times would you need to fold it before it was so thick that it would reach most of the way to the Sun (100 million kilometers)?
Most people are surprised to hear that the answer is 50. In fact I have seen at least one person try it. She was convinced she could fold the paper 50 times and prove me wrong but only got to about 5 folds (because it got too awkward and the paper wasn't big enough, but you should ignore these practical difficulties for this thought experiment.)
Let's think about it. Say the paper is 1 mm thick (I know that's quite thick for paper but it makes the maths simple and doesn't really change the end result). After the first fold the paper is 2 mm thick, then 4, then 8, 16, 32, etc.
So after 5 folds the paper is over 3 cm thick. What about after another 5? After a total of 10 folds it is over 1 meter thick. After 15 it is 32 meters thick, after 20 over 1 kilometer, after 30 over 1000 kilometers, after 40 over a million, and by the time the 50th fold is completed over a billion (that's more than I said earlier because my paper started off too thick but you can see that it works in principle). That is the power of a geometric progression.
How many more folds would you need to make to double the thickness (from 1 billion to 2 billion kilometers). Some people say another 50 folds, but anyone who is paying attention will know the answer is 1. Just one more fold makes the paper a billion kilometers thicker because each fold doubles the previous thickness.
Again I must emphasise this is a thought experiment and obviously cannot be done in practice. Or can it? What about something similar involving self-replicating nano-machines?
People find this effect counter-intuitive because they tend to think linearly rather than geometrically. The expect things to increase smoothly rather than to accelerate suddenly.
Here's another example of something counter-intuitive: take a pack of cards and shuffle it (randomly) then look at the result. How likely is it that the particular order of those cards has ever existed before anywhere and at any time in the entire history of the world? There are only 52 cards so surely it is very likely that the result has occurred before, isn't it?
Well no, it's almost 100% certain that the card order you have just created is totally unique and has never existed before. The cards in a standard deck of cards can be arranged approximately 80 million trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion different ways!
The first card could be any one of 52 so there are 52 possibilities. The second can be chosen from any one of the 51 remaining, etc. So the total possibilities are 52 x 51 x 50 etc. Do the calculation and see that it gets big quickly!
The deck we use today was invented in 1480, about 530 years ago. If every person in the world (let's average that out at 5 billion) shuffled a new deck every second for all that time (about 17 billion seconds) they would still only deal 85 million trillion combinations. That is only 1 billion trillion trillion trillionths of one per cent of the total possibilities!
And you can now take a card from any place in the deck and put it somewhere else. That is (almost certainly) another totally unique combination.
People find this counter-intuitive because they don't understand statistical and probabilistic concepts.
Here's another piece of weirdness which seems trivial but maybe isn't. The phrase "eleven plus two" is an anagram of "twelve plus one". Coincidence? Most people would think so in this case because there is no political, religious, or social reason to think otherwise. But similar coincidences can often be misinterpreted as being far more meaningful when the person involved has a motive to see things that way.
People aren't good at accepting that sometimes there is no deeper reason for something and no pattern even when it looks like there is.
So what I'm trying to say here is that most people aren't good at analysing facts and coming to a valid conclusion. They aren't good at estimating the answer to numeric problems. They aren't good at establishing the probability of a particular outcome. And they aren't good at figuring out what is a real effect and what is just "noise".
It's no wonder such a large proportion of the population believe in so many wacky things like UFO encounters, psychics, gods, ghosts, lake monsters, and a bunch of other stuff. And it's no wonder they have trouble accepting scientific facts which are based on unintuitive processes such as evolution, the big bang, climate change, quantum theory, and relativity.
But those are just the obvious outcomes of this human failing. People rely on their intuition which is the result of a million years of evolution in a simple natural environment. It works well in most situations but utterly fails when trying to understand deeper meaning. The more concerning issue is that our political and economic systems assume people make good decisions. They don't.
The facts above came from another thread on Quora called "What are some of the most mind-blowing facts?" (for a similar thread see my pervious blog post.) The link for the Quora discussion thread with these and many more weird facts is here.
Comment 1 (3012) by Anonymous on 2012-04-21 at 16:00:25:
You make a big leap of logic going from some mathematical puzzles to a sort of political comment. What is that all about?
Comment 2 (3013) by RobDog on 2012-04-22 at 08:32:30:
A data transfer rate of 1587GB in about 3 seconds? Now that's something you should write about. In retrospect, I'd be happy with a tenth of a milliejac.
Comment 3 (3014) by OJB on 2012-04-22 at 14:11:43:
There are a few issues though: the data can only be transferred short distances, the operation requires a significant time interval between transfers, the receiver can often cause difficulties, once one receiver is selected it is difficult to perform data transfers to others, the data transfer protocol between sender and receiver can be highly problematic. You know, this is just too easy!
Comment 4 (3015) by Rdog on 2012-04-22 at 22:11:51:
Easy yes, but you can't tell me it wasn't fun.
I had more written, commenting in a more serious way about the above, but then after rereading it I thought "this doesn't make sense to me and I wrote it". If only more people exercised the delete key.
Comment 5 (3016) by OJB on 2012-04-23 at 14:37:34:
Here's my rule: if you are writing something which you are unsure of (maybe you think it might be too controversial, based on unsubstantiated opinion, etc) just leave it for an hour then go back and re-read it. It's amazing how often you might then want to use the delete key, that key which is underutilised by so many.
Remember: "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." (Proverbs 17:28), or a more contemporary version: "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt."
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Opening With Some Impact
“Today I am going to be talking about . . . .”
“Hello . . . Hello . . . . Good Morning . . . . “
“I would like to speak about . . . .”
“Okay, let me begin with a story. . . .”
“Today, I would like to . . . . “
“I heard a story which illustrates the point I would like to make . . . .”
“Let me ask you if you have ever . . . . “
“I hope you enjoy my presentation . . . .”
“Imagine that you are . . . .”
Those are a few examples of the first words which typify many “Fundamentals of Speech 101” students’ introductions. Over the years of teaching such classes, I have sought to break students of that practice. While teaching “Public Speaking” over the past three years at a local university, I would say something like this to the students . . . .
- I want you to position yourself at the podium.
- Look at the audience for a few seconds — it will feel like forever.
- Establish a sweeping eye contact.
- Establish some personal mental and emotional composure.
- Do NOT look down at any of your notes — keep looking at them and then . . . .
- Begin with the first words of your introduction, which may be . . . .
a personal battle
a thought-provoking question
an interesting, unexpected, or startling statistic*
a startling statement
a humorous story (which is not gratuitous humor)
a personal battle you experienced
a well-known “event”
an expert’s statement-opinion
a physical object
a testimony – yours or another’s
an illustrative connecting story
a personal anecdote
an illustrative theme connected story
Start strong with an introduction! — which will capture the audience’s interest and/or attention! Begin with an introduction which your audience will not forget — which they will remember!
Likewise . . . .
“Today we are looking at . . . .”
“Let’s me begin with . . . . “
“We began a series last week on . . . .”
“Again this morning we are in the book of . . . .”
“Turn to . . . .”
“Let me ask you a question . . . . “
“Our series is on . . . . and we are looking at the fourth parable/commandment/time when Jesus/etc.”
“Let me being by reviewing where we were last week . . . .”
“Let’s open our Bibles to . . . .
“Today, as we continue our series in Psalms, we are finally in chapter 150 . . . .”
. . . . are a few examples of the typical introductions which many of us will hear on a Sunday church service as a pastor-preacher-teacher begins. Been there — done it!
Now anyone who has spent any meaningful amount of time and effort speaking knows that there is a more effective way to begin! Let me assure you, that I understand some of the reasons for knowing that and yet not practicing it.
→ the number of times a person speaks every week
→ time constraints — All of the above types of introductions take up speaking time.
→ being a serial-speaker — Because you are the same speaker who is speaking to the same audience, and those realities demand greater variety
→ speaking to a serial audience — Because the audience has heard many of your stories, examples, illustrations, etc. the possibility for variety is narrowed.
→ other time demands in ministry and administration — “Introductions” take time to develop and/or unearth!
→ dissatisfying explored introductory options — After spending a considerable amount of time on this-or-that introductory possibility, you just cannot get it to gel or work as you want! — “I just going with — Let’s open our Bibles to . . . “
Nevertheless, we still all know that there is a more effective way to begin a message than that! After you listen to the two examples below, you might be more excited about taking the time to engage an audience.
Here are the two examples taken from a message by Dr. Travis Smith at a Sunday baccalaureate service, June 3, 2018. One is a personal experience, and the other comes from a well-known event.
Personal Experience: What drives the impact of this personal story even further is his “thinking on his feet” response to the clerk at the register.
Well-know Event: Outstanding! What an effective way to bring the audience into thinking about how one would determine the value of an individual!
Time to skip those “dreaded introductions” which put the mind into a “mentally neutral gear” from the very start!
Bring Them Into The Speech
With An Introduction
Which Carries Some
Weight & Interest!
Additional words by Mark Dever audio clip on “Introductions”
P.S. Only 20 more articles on Rhetorical Techniques, which will bring us to 250 such articles. While I have about 160 plus articles in the WordPress Que, they will roll out sporadically as I have time.
My plan is to now go back to these 250 articles and . . . .
#1) put them “as is” all together into one pdf file for anyone who wants to download all 250. If that is you, connect with me on LinkedIn, or my wordpress site and let me know, and I will email it to you as a downloadable pdf file. I will do that weekly after #250.
#2) create a “table of contents”. A “table of contents” page will help to visually scan the various topics and techniques. It can jog your mind as to what you can do as you seek to add some meat to the message.
#3) make the necessary grammatical corrections which I am sure I have missed as I work on these articles day after day. Usually, I catch some of them a little later in the day as I re-read some of them.
#4) print these and others into a magazine format (example: Ruth Chapter 1 2017 — a magazine commentary).
* Jane Fonda in “Life’s Third Act,” TED talk: Using a statistic
“There have been many revolutions over the last century, but perhaps none as significant as the longevity revolution. We are living on average today 34 years longer than our great-grandparents did. Think about that: that’s an entire second adult lifetime that’s been added to our lifespan.”
P.S. You don’t have to like Jane Fonda to see how an introduction can have impact.
“I wish you could have been there when this event took place in my life. You may have had different thoughts than I had when it was happening, but you would have had some lasting impressions which . . . ”
“Go back with me to a time when life in a small town USA meant that we were outside all summer with mom having no idea where we were. A time when a town came together for a Little League baseball game on a summer evening. A time when . . . . ”


What You Need to Know About : Grounded Theory
Grounded theory (GT) is a qualitative research methodology commonly employed by scholars to analyze communication processes and content, often for the development of interpretive theories. As a methodology, GT is more than a method or set of methods for collecting or analyzing data. Instead, GT is an approach to social research that specifies an emergent rather than predetermined research design through an atypical sequence of activities for building and developing theory; it is an approach that arguably runs counter to traditional notions of scientific method as developed initially in what is referred to as the natural sciences. Distinguishing characteristics of GT include delay of the literature review, simultaneous collection and analysis of data, emic construction of analytic codes and categories from data (vs. etic or a priori application of previous theory), development of midrange theories (vs. universal laws) to explain communication behavior and processes, the composition of theoretical memos to define analytic categories, and sampling procedures inspired more by a concern for theory construction than for representativeness.
Littlejohn, Stephen W and Karen A.Floss. (2009). Encyclopedia of Communication Theory.USA:SAGE.654
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