Friday, September 3, 2010

“Bridgepoint Education's Ashford University Offers New Associate Of Arts Degree In Military Studies” plus 2 more

“Bridgepoint Education's Ashford University Offers New Associate Of Arts Degree In Military Studies” plus 2 more

Bridgepoint Education's Ashford University Offers New Associate Of Arts Degree In Military Studies

Posted: 03 Sep 2010 03:00 AM PDT

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Press Release Source: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. On Friday September 3, 2010, 6:00 am EDT

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE:BPI - News), a provider of post-secondary education services focused on providing higher access to higher education, announced today that Ashford University has introduced an Associate of Arts degree in Military Studies. The new degree was designed to meet the educational needs of both military and civilian students.

Approximately 18 percent of Ashford's students are active duty military. For those students, a college education is a key factor for advancement in the military. The AA in Military Studies is ideal for military students who only require an associate degree for promotion. Due to its strong base in liberal arts, the AA in Military Studies also serves as an excellent springboard to BA programs and further educational opportunities.

"This program builds on the strength of general education to provide an exciting and challenging associate degree that is designed to meet the needs of those serving our country at home and overseas," said Dr. Curt Lowe, dean of Ashford's College of Liberal Arts.

For civilian students, the AA in Military Studies can lead to several interesting career opportunities. Many law enforcement and correctional positions require associate degrees. Graduates will also be prepared for positions in areas such as veteran affairs, office and administrative support, security, banking, business ownership and civilian military jobs.

"Built on a liberal arts foundation, this interdisciplinary program advances peace maintenance as a core of military theory," said Mary Alexander, program director for Ashford's College of Liberal Arts. "Students gain understanding of the history, culture and current world political conditions and how these shape military responses and strategy."

Ashford University's Associate of Arts in Military Studies is currently available online only. This degree does not lead to licensure or certification of any kind.

About Bridgepoint Education

Bridgepoint Education's postsecondary education services focus on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in such disciplines as business, education, psychology, social sciences and health sciences.  Bridgepoint Education's regionally accredited academic institutions – Ashford University and University of the Rockies – deliver their programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.  For more information about Bridgepoint Education, visit www.bridgepointeducation.com or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations at 858.668.2580.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org).  The University offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa, campus.  The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable online and on-campus programs.  For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.

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Degree of decency in politics?

Posted: 03 Sep 2010 07:40 PM PDT

It would seem that when desperation plummets to really low levels, as it seems to be doing quite rapidly now, there can be no degree of decency in politics, observes Zaharom Nain.


"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3-5). Truly decent Malaysians, like Aliran president P Ramakrishnan, are becoming increasingly alarmed and certainly frustrated at current developments in the politics of race and religion in Malaysia.

In his latest missive to the media, published by the online media but, predictably, ignored by most of the mainstream press, Ramakrishnan hits out at the accusations hurled at the Penang Chief Minister by the Defence Minister and also a Malay national daily. Accusations, thus far rather baseless, that the Agong's name was substituted with the CM's in a Friday sermon, and accusations that the CM had personally directed his name to be mentioned in the sermon.

Ramakrishnan ends his letter with the plea that "there must be some degree of decency in politics."

Elsewhere down south, a senior teacher — a headmistress, no less — reportedly utters some pretty hateful, racist remarks in a school gathering witnessed by hundreds of students. Ugly remarks urging some students to go 'back' to China (where many, if not all, being Malaysian-born and raised, have never ever been before … and quite likely have no intention of doing so). And equally hurtful remarks about the religious ornaments worn by her Hindu pupils.

After the initial public uproar, she personally apologises to the pupils she has wronged. To seemingly make light of a very serious issue, the DG of Education reassures us ignoramuses that it was all a 'misunderstanding'.

Following which, the Education Minister, perhaps aware that 'misunderstanding' does not quite cut it as a valid explanation, decides to invest time, money and human-power on a 'taskforce' to 'investigate' the incident.

In the meantime, we hear that the headmistress has been transferred to another school when, perhaps, an enforced vacation pending the outcome of the investigation would have been a better option. After all, if indeed, she had uttered those remarks to impressionable children in her capacity as their headmistress, surely she ought to be kept away from others whose young minds she may also poison?

While all this is still going on, an apparently naive first-term woman MP steps into a surau in her constituency, addresses the people assembled there when invited, and finds herself on the front page of that same Malay national newspaper the next day, accused of 'insulting the nation' (where the paper not very cleverly or subtly conflates race and religion into 'the nation'). She purportedly incurs the wrath of the Sultan to whom she now has to apologise.

What's sad about this recent episode is that it paints a picture of the religion as being exclusive instead of inclusive, where certain officials jump the gun and make instant decisions without giving the accused a chance to respond, without stepping back and looking at the whole situation.

Indeed, compare the official — and press — reaction to this recent incident with the earlier incident involving the headmistress and we begin to see clear inconsistencies. Certainly inconsistencies that have become too apparent these days although those in power think the rakyat cannot fathom them.

Notice, for instance, how fast the official response has been with this surau incident and how they seem to be dragging their feet with the school incident.

In this latest instance, the MP is virtually tarred and feathered almost immediately, whereas the headmistress is initially excused for being 'misunderstood' and later transferred instead of being told to go on leave pending investigations.

These aside, fresh allegations of impropriety have now emerged about three state representatives in Penang purchasing houses worth RM600,000. Before we read too much into that, let us please take note that RM600,000 in Penang would get one a fairly decent intermediate double-storey link house and virtually nothing more.

And allegations of this nature against state officials in Penang are nothing new. Not long after the 2008 general elections, the new CM (yes, the same poor CM caught in the recent sermon incident) was accused of impropriety when he temporarily moved out of his termite-hit official residence to a bungalow. Yet, in the end, nothing came out of that.

At the same time, a former CM in another state builds a mansion purportedly at a cost of RM24 MILLION, asserts that he makes more than a decent living looking at people's teeth, and the same officials and media — those who selectively pick their targets — evidently agree straight off, without any questioning let alone investigation, that there's been no impropriety.

Indeed, many of these accusations often smack of desperation on the part of the accusers. The belief is that if you throw enough mud, some of it is bound to stick. It helps, of course, if you have a compliant media at the same time, plus particular rags which you own, to help publicise your accusations as if they were much more.

And while I sympathise totally with someone like Ramakrishnan, nonetheless it would seem that when such desperation plummets to really low levels, as it seems to be doing quite rapidly now, there can be no degree of decency in politics.

But, of course, these politicians do all this at the risk of losing touch with the increasing number of voters like Ramakrishnan, whose intelligence and decency they insult, yet whose votes they wish to have.

Source: borneopost.com

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Cash in: 12 ways to earn extra money online

Posted: 03 Sep 2010 02:50 PM PDT

If you want to make a little spending money from home or earn a full-time salary, now's the time — especially if you have a computer. Just going online opens up a host of opportunities. The trick is knowing which businesses are legitimate. Here are my top picks.

Sell your crafts
 Do you knit? Make jewelry? Sew? If so, there are lots of opportunities to sell handmade wares online. As a member of Etsy ( etsy.com), you'll have your own online store to showcase your items. It's free to become an Etsy seller, but you'll pay a fee of 20¢ to list an item with up to five photos for four months. When the item sells, you pay a 3.5 percent commission to Etsy. There's no limit to how much you can charge, and what you earn is based on how your crafts sell.

At Jewelry Wonder ( jewelrywonder.com), sellers must have at least 30 items to open a free online store. There's no charge to sellers — no setup fee, monthly or transaction fees, or listing or hosting fees. And sellers set their own prices, so the sky's the limit.

ArtFire ( artfire.com) is the home of artists, crafters, suppliers and media creators from around the world. Sellers can choose either a basic free account that includes unlimited listings with four pictures per item plus the ability to sell directly from your blog or website, or a Pro account for $15.95 a month with 10 pictures per item plus a customizable "store" and promo features. There are no transaction fees on ArtFire, so you keep what you make. The site also offers online training in merchandising and marketing.

Make money from your talent
 At Fiverr ( fiverr.com), you can offer services that use your skills — designing a business card, creating a podcast jingle, planning a trip — for five bucks a pop. Fiverr keeps $1 and the seller gets $4 per gig. Stefanie Strobel, 28, of Newport Beach, California, writes people's messages in the sand at the beach and takes a picture that she then emails to them. "I make about $300 per month and can do about 10 to 15 messages per hour, depending on length and complexity," says Stefanie.

Be a nurse on call
 If you're a registered nurse, consider a company like Fonemed ( fonemed. com), which provides phone-based triage and medical information to their customers in Canada and the U.S. These companies contract with medical-related clients, mostly doctor's offices and especially pediatrician's offices, to answer questions when the offices are closed (the work hours are typically evenings, nights and weekends). You must be licensed in the state or province where you are located and have at least three years of recent clinical experience with adults and children. Fonemed nurses are paid an hourly minimum plus a fee per call, and are eligible for benefits like health insurance and paid leave. A typical Fonemed nurse makes $27 per hour, according to Fonemed owner Charlene Slaney.

Write, edit, proofread
 Sites like Demand Studios ( demandstudios.com) and Associated Content ( associatedcontent.com) hire experienced freelance writers, editors and filmmakers to work on projects for sites like eHow, LiveStrong.com and YouTube. At Demand Studios, assignments pay anywhere from $15 to $100; if you meet tenure and activity requirements, you can be eligible for health insurance plans. At Associated Content there are three ways to earn money: Upfront payments for content you write ($2 to $15 per article), assigned articles ($10 to $100 per article) and performance payments ($1.50 for every 1,000 page views of your article if it's posted online).

Design graphics and websites
 Elance ( elance.com) works like an online marketplace, setting up designers and computer programmers with companies that need their services. Companies post jobs and freelancers bid on them, listing their experience, portfolio and the price they will charge for the job. If your bid is chosen, you'll pay Elance a commission of 4 to 6 percent of what you earn.

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Tutor kids or adults
If you have a college degree or are currently enrolled in college and think you have the skills to tutor math, science, English or social studies, tutoring online might fit you perfectly. Check out Tutor.com, where tutors work as independent contractors and earn around $10 to $14 per hour based on the subject and hours worked. Very active tutors can earn anywhere from $800 to $1,600 a month.

Give advice
 Know a lot about medicine or car repairs? JustAnswer (justanswer.com) is a paid question-and-answer site that's growing its community of experts in the medical, legal and financial fields, as well as in other specialties like car repair and home improvement. Registered customers ask a question and then name the price they're willing to pay (usually from $10 to $40) for an expert answer. The expert usually responds within an hour, and once the customer accepts the answer, keeps from 25 to 50 percent of what the customer pays. How much experts earn depends on how many questions they've had accepted by customers. Experts are vetted through a fairly grueling process, with credentials, education and background verified.

Provide customer service
 Many retailers are outsourcing their customer service operations to third-party companies like Alpine Access (alpineaccess.com) and Working Solutions (workingsolutions.com), who in turn contract with home-based workers. The reps, who typically work 20 to 40 hours a week, take calls for large and small companies. The hourly rate is about $9, but agents can earn up to $13 with incentives and bonuses or up to $30 for special projects. Some companies offer benefits like health and dental insurance and a matching 401(k) plan. LiveOps (liveops.com) is similar, but service reps operate as independent contractors, typically invoicing LiveOps $10 to $15 per hour depending on the type of call and performance. And with LiveOps you can work as many hours as you want. The hiring process is rigorous: Expect a comprehensive written or online application, skills exam, phone interview and background check.

Make a little spending money
 When career librarian Rachel Singer Gordon, 40, of Lombard, Illinois, quit her job in 2005 to take care of her children and pursue freelance writing, she knew she'd need to find other sources of income to supplement her writing. She dove headlong into couponing and frugality, and became a wizard at finding ways to earn money online. Soon Rachel was bringing in small amounts of income from lots of sources she calls "multiple profit centers." "They're the equivalent of a nice, steady part-time job," says Rachel. In 2009, she started the blog Mashup Mom (mashupmom.com) to share all the stuff she was learning. In fewer than two years, the blog has become yet another profit center for Rachel, as has her first book, Point, Click, and Save: Mashup Mom's Guide to Saving and Making Money Online. Tap into multiple profit centers with Rachel's favorites.

  • Launch a blog. "If you have something interesting to say, grow your readership, post ads and earn some dough," says Rachel. Start your blog at a free site (go to blogger.com or wordpress.com), then go to Google AdSense (google.com/adsense) or the affiliate program at Amazon.com (affiliate-program.amazon.com) to feature advertising on your site. With AdSense, you make a little bit every time someone clicks on one of the ads hosted on your site. With Amazon's program, you earn a small commission when someone clicks through on an ad and makes a purchase at Amazon. The income will start small, but if you build your following, your cash flow will increase. Rachel typically makes several hundred dollars per month from ads or affiliate links on her blog.
  • Give your opinion. At MySurvey.com, Surveyhead.com or ValuedOpinions.com, you can sign up to take surveys about products and services and get paid for it. Sites typically pay $2 to $5 per completed survey and will send you a check or deposit to your PayPal account, or gift cards or merchandise once you reach $20 in your survey account. Scam alert! There are lots of survey sites out there, but not all are trustworthy. Avoid participating in anything that charges a fee up front to participate. "I try to take three or four surveys each week while the kids are watching TV, and that brings in $20 to $30 per month," says Rachel.
  • Search the Internet.

    Rachel loves to scour the Web, and one of her favorite things to do is use Swag Bucks (swagbucks.com) as her search engine instead of, say, Google or Yahoo. By doing this, she earns Swag Bucks points — called "SBs" on the website — redeemable for merchandise like Target gift cards and beauty products. (Maximize the number of points you earn by installing the Swag Bucks toolbar on your computer.) You can also earn more Swag Bucks points by taking the site's daily poll and by participating in the company's "trusted surveys." But be warned, it could take awhile to accumulate SBs. A $300 Apple gift card, for example, costs 37,000 SB. If you don't want prizes, you can trade your Swag Bucks points for PayPal deposits into your account.

    1. More from TODAYshow.com

      1. Mom's hug revives baby that was pronounced dead
      2. Paris' not-my-bag claim undone by her Twitpic?
      3. Drum roll, please! Oprah to make book club pick
      4. Woman recovering after vicious acid attack
      5. Vote for the wedding reception venue!

  • Do online tasks. Have a few extra minutes with nothing to do? Companies like Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk (mturk.com) will pay you to complete little tasks that they need done, such as searching the Web for certain products or answering questions and giving opinions. There's usually a time limit of anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, and pay ranges from a few cents to a few dollars. This may not sound like a lot, but do enough tasks and you've earned yourself some extra spending money.

For more money-saving tips, visit Women's Day's website.

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