How to Distinguish the Legitimate Online University By Christos Varsamis

Online education has a tremendous growth in the last 10 years since the spread of the internet community. New online schools have been developed and the established campus universities have also created similar or even better online training solutions.

But the question is still arises. How can we distinguish the real online universities with the relevant bachelors or masters from the bogus ones? Although there is not the 100% certainty on how to avoid the fraudulent online training “vendors”, there are some fundamental principal you can focus on.

1) Degree in 2 months! Just display your personal and working experience and you are done!

Doesn’t it ring a bell? It should be obvious, that is a scam degree. There is not a single one prestigious and legitimate educational institute that will provide a degree or even a diploma under these circumstances. Thus, when you find these claims you should stay away. Diploma mill is the name of the bogus Degree.

2) What kind of accreditation you should search for? One of the most important factors for your online university choice is the accreditation. Some online schools have no accreditation at all and should be avoided at all costs. Some other have regional accreditation but most of the times this is not enough. It’s possible your degree or master from an online vendor with regional certification to be rejected from your potential employer. What you need is national or even worldwide accreditation in order to be certain for the quality of you education.

3) Credits. Do they allow credits transfer? If you have credits from your previous education experiences you should check if they allow the credits transfer and what kind of credits do they accept. This will be a useful indication on how legitimate the online training is.

4) The tuition is another important issue and especially if there are any other hidden costs or fees. Most of the times the tuition of the online universities is comparable lower than the regular schools. The lack of campus expenses is the main reason for that. Online schools or universities which are more expensive than the regular ones should be avoided because they profiteer. There is no excuse for having so high costs.

5) Another issue is the longevity of the college although this factor is not the absolute criterion for the legality of the school. On the other hand it is known that the prestigious institutions have been around for decades.

6) Support and Address. It may sound obvious but it is essential to ask for support and information from the online school in order to verify as much as possible for the background of the university.

7) Another question is the number of students that have graduated from the school. If the number of graduates is small this is an indication of instability. On the other hand if the number is high the opposite happens. Are there many students that are currently enrolled in the online college? The answer to the above questions will provide a clear view about the background of the university.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=337598&ca=Education

Handsome Fish Hunters - Osprey in Montana By Marlene Affeld

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), when hunting on the wing, seem to glide effortlessly over the water. Smaller than an eagle, an osprey is still an impressive raptor. With wingspans of up to 72 inches and up to 24 inches in length and a weight of almost 5 pounds, the osprey is a wonderful addition to Montana’s rich abundance of bird life.

A Handsome fish hunters, the osprey has a distinctive white head and belly with rich, dark brown feathers gracing its back. The undersides of the wings are also snow-white except for dark patches and barred-brown flight feathers. Ospreys vocalize with a series of piercing whistles and chirps that become more intense if the nest is approached. Osprey nest just about anywhere in close proximity to water that provides safety and an abundance of food.

Osprey prefer to nest on the top of dead trees, however; their nests are visible on power poles, bridge trestles and rocky outcroppings. Montanans respect the osprey’s freedom and honor that by establishing nest locations. All along the rivers of Montana nest platforms especially designed for osprey safety and comfort have been installed. Such platforms are an integral part of re-establishing the osprey in areas where they have disappeared.

Even during their autumn migration to Central and South America, osprey follow the river valleys to stay close to water. Ospreys fly south from Montana in October, returning during March and April to rebuild their nests. Both the female and the male work to gather driftwood, branches and twigs to build their nest. However, it is the female of the species that does most of the labor of fabricating and crafting the nest. Ospreys assure the safety and comfort of their hatchlings by lining the nest with soft leaves and grass. Female ospreys frequently decorate their nests with bright bits of material, paper or plastic they have found.

Like the eagle, osprey will reuse nests from the previous year, patiently adding new material, repairing wind and weather damage and enlarging their comfort zone. Over time some osprey nests have grown to jaw-dropping dimensions.

The osprey's affinity for water is based on his diet which consists almost entirely of fresh fish. They rarely eat anything else. The osprey hunts by hovering over the water at altitudes of up to 200 feet, then diving feet-first to grab a tasty trout. Mother Nature has provide the osprey with extremely sharp, long claws and barbed footpads called spicules that enable it to grasp a slippery fish. The osprey also has a dense, oily plumage as well as nasal valves that prevent water from invading the nostrils when the osprey fiercely dives to capture its prey. Oddly, the feet of an osprey each have reversible front toes that facilitates their grasp in the water. However, ospreys can’t swim and several have been known to drown. This happens if they find their talons stuck in too heavy a fish and cannot become airborne.

When an osprey successfully snags a meal, it dramatically shakes its wings as it clears the water and then repositions the fish in its talons to face forward to reduce drag. The osprey will fly to a perch or if it has young, return to the nest to enjoy its meal.

In late April or early May the osprey lay their eggs. The normal clutch has three. Curiously, the eggs do not all hatch at once, with the first chick hatching up to five days before the last. Often the oldest chick becomes an overbearing bully, snatching up the choicest food brought to the nest by the parents and depriving its siblings of much needed nutrition.

The speckled appearance of osprey chicks in the nest provides excellent camouflage, however; many still fall victim to raccoons, owls and eagles. If they escape the claws of predators and are able to obtain enough food, the young ospreys will leave the nest in July or August. At about two months of age they are developed to the point of caring for themselves.

Ospreys have a complicated social structure. Normally ospreys pair for life, however; if the mating is not successful, they will seek new partners. When a female osprey chooses her mating partner, she doesn’t judge by good looks or fishing skills, but like her human counterpart, chooses the male with the best house (nest) in the best neighborhood (location). When ospreys are tired of the duties of parenthood, they will often withhold food to forcefully encourage the fledglings to leave the nest. Still wanting an adult to provide for them, osprey fledgling will often move to nearby nests where they receive food from other parent osprey.

When ospreys are 3 to 4 years old they will find a suitable partner and mate. Most male ospreys will return to the area from which they themselves fledged. The magnificent saga of the osprey continues.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=332035&ca=Education

Paying For College With College Scholarships and Student Loans By Mark B. Allen

It is getting harder to pay for a college education these days, but it is by no means impossible. Getting college scholarships is still the best way to go, and there are plenty of them still around - even though money may be getting tighter. Here are some tips about how to get money to pay for your college education with college scholarships and student loans.

GET AS MANY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS AS YOU CAN

The best way to go to college is to go free. College scholarships can enable a student to go to college without cost - if there are enough of them. In order to get as many as is needed to go without cost, you will need to apply to as many scholarships as possible. Of course, you want to only apply for those college scholarships that you have a good possibility of actually winning.

Finding the right college scholarships to apply to will require some work - and possibly some imagination, too. There are college scholarships for just about everything you can think of these days - and possibly some that are almost out of reach of the imagination, too. You can find them for academics, sports, hobbies, uniqueness - like a special last name or for left-handers, etc., your locale, and some that are just plain weird - like the duct tape prom college scholarship.

In order for you to learn about what college scholarships are available, you will need to do some homework. This includes researching them online, in the library, letting scholarship groups help you (be careful of these - some are scams), talking to your school counselors, and more. You can also look at the Web sites of the colleges that you are interested in, and they will show you what college scholarships are available there.

LOOK FOR COMPANY SCHOLARSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS

Many companies also offer college scholarships, too. They do this because they want to have a qualified and trained pool of potential employees available when they need them. They usually look for exceptionally bright prospects that can bring much to the table if they should hire them.

Getting a college scholarship or an internship with a great company can lead to a great job right out of college. Sometimes, you may even be able to find your needed college scholarship simply by looking at the various companies you would dream of working for after you get your college degree. Look at their Web sites for more information.

APPLY FOR COLLEGE STUDENT LOANS

Because college scholarships may not cover your entire school bill, you may also need some college financing. Direct loans are available from the government, which will also give you the lowest interest rate possible on education loans.

Direct student loans, which includes the Stafford loans and the PLUS loans, accumulate no interest while you are in school (because the government pays for it while you are in college), or drop to less than half-time. You will not need to make any payments on the loan until you have been out of school for 6 months.

Graduate students and families of college students have access to PLUS loans for education and they also have the same terms as the Stafford loans – but a little higher interest rate. All government loans can be consolidated after graduation for easy payments.

GET STARTED EARLY

If you want to get the most out of college scholarships and student loans, then you will need to get started early. In fact, you should get started earlier than was necessary in previous years. With less money going around and with some college scholarships going on a first-come, first-served basis - you have no time to lose.

Finding the right college scholarships takes a considerable amount of time, and so does filling out scholarship applications and writing scholarship essays. In addition, in order to get a Direct loan, you will need to have filled out the FAFSA form, which is required for all government student loans.

FILL OUT SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS CAREFULLY

College scholarship applications require that they be filled out accurately and carefully. A little carelessness (or haste) in answering a question or two could needlessly cost you a college scholarship. This could mean that you may need to take much longer to pay off a college loan - when you didn't have to.

Writing a quality college scholarship essay that will win a scholarship requires that you understand what the group offering it is looking for. Make yourself look like the person that they would like to represent and promote their company, college, etc., and you could walk away with the free college education you want. Be honest, though, in what you write - and you'll be glad you did.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=333595&ca=Education

Pronouncing Italian Vowels and Consonants By Scott Wells

The correct pronunciation in Italian can be difficult for some beginners. Yet it is standard and stays the same. Once the rules are understood it is simple to pronounce each word correctly. Here are some step by step instructions on how to pronounce the Italian vowels.

A - sounds like a in father
E - has two sounds: short vowel like e in pen and the long vowel similar to ai in fair
I - sounds like ea in tea.
O - has two sounds: like o in cozy or similar of o in cost
U - sounds like u in rude.

Italian vowels are always spoken in a sharp, clear fashion; they should never be slurred or pronounced weakly. Vowels always keep their value in diphthongs. Italian is a phonetic language. This means it is spoken exactly the way it is written. Italian and English use the same Latin alphabet, but the sounds by the letters are different in the two languages.

Pronouncing Italian Consonants

In Italian pronunciation can be difficult especially for beginners Yet much like the vowels the sound each consonant makes is a regular sound and remains the same, so once the rules are understood, it is simple to pronounce the words correctly. Here are the step by step instructions on the way the consonants are pronounced in Italian.

The consonants B, F, M, N, and V are pronounced exactly as they are in English.
When the C is before a, o, u and before a consonant it has the sound similar to the English letter K. When the C comes before the e and I it sounds very similar to the English sound of the Ch.

D is much more explosive in Italian than it is in English; with the tongue near the tip of the upper teeth but with no aspiration.

When G comes before a, o, and u and before consonants it sounds like the g in good; when it comes before e and i it sounds like the g in general.

Gli sounds like ll in million and Gn sounds like the ny in canyon.

The H in Italian is silent.

The L sounds like it does in English except with a sharper tone and more forward in the mouth.

This is a continuation of the article: Learning Italian Vowels and Consonants - Part 1

P sounds as it does in English, but without the aspiration, which sometimes happens in English.

Qu sounds as it does in English like in the word quest.

R is very different from the English; it is pronounced with one flip of the tongue against the gums of the upper teeth. This will make the trill sound of the r.

S before vowels and unvoiced consonants such as c, f, p, q, s, t is pronounced like the s in the English word rose.

T is pretty much like the T in English, but with no escaping of breath to go along with it in the Italian.

Z can be voiced, like ds in beds, or it can be voiceless, like ts in bets.

All Italian consonants have a corresponding double consonant, whose pronunciation is similar to, but not exactly like the single consonant. The mispronunciation of the double consonants can result in miscommunication.

Italian is known as a musical language because every sound is clear and distinct but stays soft rather than hard. The consonants will never lose their sound value even when linked together with syllables and words.

When they say Italian is a phonetic language, they mean it is spoken the way it is written. Italian and English share the Latin alphabet, but the pronunciation of each letter differs between the two languages.

Don't you wonder how all of these languages that share the same alphabet became so different in countries that are so close together?

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=335306&ca=Education