Tidbits on September 30, 2014
Bob Jensen at Trinity University

Set 7 of My Favorite Foliage Photographs (2014) ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/Foliage/
Set16/FoliageSet07.htm   

 

Tidbits on September 30,, 2014
Bob Jensen

For earlier editions of Tidbits go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm
For earlier editions of New Bookmarks go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm 

Click here to search Bob Jensen's web site if you have key words to enter --- Search Site.
For example if you want to know what Jensen documents have the term "Enron" enter the phrase Jensen AND Enron. Another search engine that covers Trinity and other universities is at http://www.searchedu.com/.


Bob Jensen's past presentations and lectures --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/resume.htm#Presentations   


Bob Jensen's Threads --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/threads.htm

Bob Jensen's Home Page is at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/

More of Bob Jensen's Pictures and Stories
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Pictures.htm

Despite formidable competition breathing down our neck, I'm pleased and proud to say Trinity University maintained its No. 1 ranking in the Western region of the United States, a position we've held for 23 consecutive years. The guide also recognized Trinity's strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and ranked us No. 1 in the publication's best value category, "Great Schools, Great Prices." And that's not all: read more to learn about other areas where Trinity University is a stand-out institution.
Dennis A. Ahlburg, President of Trinity University, September 15, 2014




Online Video, Slide Shows, and Audio
In the past I've provided links to various types of music and video available free on the Web. 
I created a page that summarizes those various links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm

Video Shows French Air Strike On ISIS ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/video-shows-french-air-strike-on-isis-2014-9

Incredible Video Of Killer Whales Out In The Open Ocean --- http://www.businessinsider.com#ixzz3EcUgkfCD

Humans Just Got Our First Close-Up Look At A Comet And It's Mind-Blowing ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/rosetta-images-of-comet-67pchuryumov-gerasimenko-2014-9

The Land That Made Me --- https://www.youtube.com/embed/J55S38xwxnQ?rel=0

A Soviet Animation of Stephen King’s Short Story “Battleground” (1986) ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/YdUklaFxCTM/a-soviet-animation-of-stephen-kings-short-story-battleground-1986.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

The Only Footage of Mark Twain: The Original & Digitally Restored Films Shot by Thomas Edison ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/jy7HzbOv_5Y/the-only-footage-of-mark-twain-the-original-digitally-restored-films.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email


Free music downloads --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm

Carnegie Hall Live: An Opening Night Gala With The Berlin Philharmonic
More Classical Music Links ---
http://www.npr.org/event/music/346859076/carnegie-hall-live-an-opening-night-gala-with-the-berlin-philharmonic

Jacques Derrida --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Derrida

Philosopher Jacques Derrida Interviews Jazz Legend Ornette Coleman: Talk Improvisation, Language & Racism (1997) ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/XXDa2VKekcY/jacques-derrida-interviews-ornette-coleman.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

The Avant-Garde Project Features Music from 200 Cutting-Edge Composers, Including Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Cage & More ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/NKtU3MB4-KI/the-avant-garde-project.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Young Joni Mitchell Performs a Hit-Filled Concert in London (1970) ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/qFWiRkP8LSg/young-joni-mitchell-performs-a-hit-filled-concert-in-london-1970.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Listen to the Long-Lost Freddie Mercury & Michael Jackson Duet ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/WDH_Tl_hMo0/listen-to-the-long-lost-freddie-mercury-michael-jackson-duet.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Bagpipe Stories ---
http://books.google.ca/books?id=n0QuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA36&lpg=PA36&dq=%22Bagpipe+Story%22&source=bl&ots=tlgyVtfvdL&sig=ObmFIb9UMQ7QV60HBeEDLauC0ic&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CcUiVLeRMtauyATa-IDwCw&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22Bagpipe%20Story%22&f=false
Also see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes

Butterfly Lands on Flutist’s Face During Flute Competition: The Show Must Go On ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/_UFys6zqBe0/butterfly-lands-on-flutists-face-during-flute-competition.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

America’s Music --- http://americasmusic.tribecafilminstitute.org

Web outfits like Pandora, Foneshow, Stitcher, and Slacker broadcast portable and mobile content that makes Sirius look overpriced and stodgy ---
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2009/tc20090327_877363.htm?link_position=link2

Pandora (my favorite online music station) --- www.pandora.com
TheRadio
(online music site) --- http://www.theradio.com/
Slacker (my second-favorite commercial-free online music site) --- http://www.slacker.com/

Gerald Trites likes this international radio site --- http://www.e-radio.gr/
Songza:  Search for a song or band and play the selection --- http://songza.com/
Also try Jango --- http://www.jango.com/?r=342376581
Sometimes this old guy prefers the jukebox era (just let it play through) --- http://www.tropicalglen.com/
And I listen quite often to Soldiers Radio Live --- http://www.army.mil/fieldband/pages/listening/bandstand.html
Also note
U.S. Army Band recordings --- http://bands.army.mil/music/default.asp

Bob Jensen's threads on nearly all types of free music selections online ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Music.htm


Photographs and Art

BirdWatching --- http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com

Bird Sites --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2-Part2.htm#---Birds

TULIPMANIA: The True Story Of How A Country Went Totally Nuts For Flower Bulbs ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/tulipmania-bubble-story-2014-9

The Guggenheim Puts 109 Free Modern Art Books Online ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/uExpWICXECQ/the-guggenheim-puts-109-free-modern-art-books-online.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

The Collections - Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (islamic art) --- http://darmuseum.org.kw/dai/the-collections/

Making the Invisible Visible: Conservation and Islamic Art ---
http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/invisible-visible

Here's What F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighter Jets Look Like While Refueling Mid-Air At Night ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-f-22-raptor-stealth-fighter-jets-look-like-while-refueling-mid-air-at-night-2014-9

Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys --- http://bridgingcultures.neh.gov/muslimjourneys/

These Gorgeous Videos Were Taken With An iPhone 6 And 6 Plus ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/these-gorgeous-videos-were-taken-with-an-iphone-6-and-6-plus-2014-9

Trending in Photography ---
https://twitter.com/ExploringBird/timelines/482300331020124160

Grand Canyon Photographs --- http://www.humfer.net/gcanyon/index.html

Rubin Museum of Art: Art of the Himalayas --- http://www.rubinmuseum.org

Winston Churchill’s Paintings: Great Statesman, Surprisingly Good Artist --
http://www.openculture.com/2014/09/winston-churchills-paintings.html

Henri Matisse Illustrates Baudelaire’s Censored Poetry Collection, Les Fleurs du Mal ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/Pk-_Ysfvou8/henri-matisse-illustrates-les-fleurs-du-mal.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email
Other Banned Books
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm#Banned

This Photographer's Pictures Of Her Tinder Dates Say A Lot About Modern Dating ---
http://www.businessinsider.com#ixzz3EF15n9Ru

Historical Photographs of China --- http://hpc.vcea.net
Also see Paul Pacter's private collection ---
http://www.whencanyou.com/index.htm 

Bloomberg Terminal --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomberg_Terminal
"Incredible Images Of Wall Street Trading Before The Bloomberg Terminal," by Elena Holodny, Business Insider, September 29, 2014 ---
 http://www.businessinsider.com/old-wall-street-trading-technology-2014-9

Bob Jensen's threads on history, literature and art ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#History


Online Books, Poems, References, and Other Literature
In the past I've provided links to various types electronic literature available free on the Web. 
I created a page that summarizes those various links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm

Directory of Open Access Journals --- http://doaj.org

Partisan Review Now Free Online: Read All 70 Years of the Preeminent Literary Journal (1934-2003) ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/CBZxCNIh-Es/partisan-review-now-free-online.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

20 Free Essays & Stories by David Sedaris: A Sampling of His Inimitable Humor ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/jU4ExG9pydw/20-free-essays-stories-by-david-sedaris.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

The Guggenheim Puts 109 Free Modern Art Books Online ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/uExpWICXECQ/the-guggenheim-puts-109-free-modern-art-books-online.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

The Howling Fantods (all about David Foster Wallace) ---  http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/dfw/ 

James Joyce Centre --- http://jamesjoyce.ie

The James Joyce Society http://www.joycesociety.org/ 
Ulysses for Dummies http://www.bway.net/~hunger/ulysses.html 

Henri Matisse Illustrates Baudelaire’s Censored Poetry Collection, Les Fleurs du Mal ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/Pk-_Ysfvou8/henri-matisse-illustrates-les-fleurs-du-mal.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Art Garfunkel Lists 1195 Books He Read Over 45 Years, Plus His 157 Favorites (Many Free) ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/95M5xqog9rE/art-garfunkel-lists-1195-books.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Mary Oliver Reads Her Beloved Poem “Wild Geese” ---
http://brainpickings.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=13eb080d8a315477042e0d5b1&id=bf1f758174&e=4d2bd13843

A Soviet Animation of Stephen King’s Short Story “Battleground” (1986) ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/YdUklaFxCTM/a-soviet-animation-of-stephen-kings-short-story-battleground-1986.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Readers Predict in 1936 Which Novelists Would Still Be Widely Read in the Year 2000 ---
http://www.openculture.com/2014/09/readers-predict-in-1936-which-novelists-would-be-read-in-2000.html

Read 14 Great Banned & Censored Novels Free Online: For Banned Books Week 2014 ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/6somG9AWMgU/read-14-banned-classic-novels-free-online.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email
Other Banned Books
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm#Banned

Free Electronic Literature --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm
Free Online Textbooks, Videos, and Tutorials --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm#Textbooks
Free Tutorials in Various Disciplines --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#Tutorials
Edutainment and Learning Games --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/thetools.htm#Edutainment
Open Sharing Courses --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI




Now in Another Tidbits Document
Political Quotations on September 30, 2014
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/2014/TidbitsQuotations093014.htm      

U.S. National Debt Clock --- http://www.usdebtclock.org/
Also see http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

Peter G. Peterson Website on Deficit/Debt Solutions ---
http://www.pgpf.org/

GAO: Fiscal Outlook & The Debt --- http://www.gao.gov/fiscal_outlook/overview 

Bob Jensen's threads on entitlements --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Entitlements.htm

Bob Jensen's health care messaging updates --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Health.htm




"10 Things Every College Professor Hates," by Lisa Wade, Business Insider, August 26, 2014 ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/10-things-every-college-professor-hates-2014-8

Compare these with "Professors Strike Back" at
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/blog/profstrikesback/the-best-of-professors-strike-back/

Research shows that fears, genuine fears, that students will impact performance pay and even tenure has led to the most disgraceful phenomenon in higher education --- grade inflation
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Assess.htm#RateMyProfessor

Grade inflation in turn leads to laziness of students in courses where they can get top grades without much of any effort ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Assess.htm#RateMyProfessor


Michael Jordan --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan
I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
Michael Jordan as quoted in the CPA Newsletter on September 29, 2014

Yeah, I've gotten myself into (gambling) situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah.
Michael Jordan in reply to Ed Bradley's question on CBS Sixty Minutes as to whether he's a compulsive gambler.


Until now I always thought that free MOOCs from prestigious universities were intended for "students" who are already highly motivated and highly educated unless they are simply curiosity seekers who cherry pick parts of the course that interest them and don't have to ever demonstrate what they learned or did not learn in the MOOC course.

"The MOOC Where Everybody Learned:  And they learned just as much as MIT students who had taken a similar course on the campus, according to a new study." by Steve Kolowich, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 16, 2014 ---
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/the-mooc-where-everybody-learned/54571?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Some MOOC skeptics believe that the only students fit to learn in massive open online courses are those who are already well educated. Without coaching and the support system of a traditional program, the thinking goes, ill-prepared students will not learn a thing.

Not so, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The researchers analyzed data from a physics course that MIT offered on the edX platform in the summer of 2013. They found that students who had spent significant time on the course showed evidence of learning no matter what their educational background.

“There was no evidence that cohorts with low initial ability learned less than the other cohorts,” wrote the researchers in a paper published this month by The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.

Not only that, but the MOOC students learned at a similar rate as did MIT students who had taken the on-campus version of a similar course. That finding surprised the researchers because the on-campus MIT students studied together in small groups for four hours every week and had regular access to their professors and other campus resources.

“This certainly should allay concerns that less-well-prepared students cannot learn in MOOCs,” the researchers wrote.

But that’s not to say that the less-well-prepared students did well. Many of them scored significantly lower than did students with more schooling. Some would have earned failing grades.

The point is that even the students who got bad grades in the course came away knowing more than they did at the outset, says David E. Pritchard, a researcher on the study, and that their progress matched that of their better-prepared classmates over the same period.

“If they stuck it out,” says Mr. Pritchard, “they learned.”

"(MOOC) Online classes really do work, according to study," by David L. Chandler, PhysOrg, September 24, 2014 ---
http://phys.org/news/2014-09-online-classes.html

It's been two years since a New York Times article declared the "year of the MOOC" —short for "massive open online courses." Now, for the first time, researchers have carried out a detailed study that shows that these classes really can teach at least as effectively as traditional classroom courses—and they found that this is true regardless of how much preparation and knowledge students start out with.

The findings have just been published in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, in a paper by David Pritchard, MIT's Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics, along with three other researchers at MIT and one each from Harvard University and China's Tsinghua University.

"It's an issue that has been very controversial," Pritchard says. "A number of well-known educators have said there isn't going to be much learning in MOOCs, or if there is, it will be for people who are already well-educated."

But after thorough before-and-after testing of students taking the MITx physics class 8.MReVx (Mechanics Review) online, and similar testing of those taking the same class in its traditional form, Pritchard and his team found quite the contrary: The study showed that in the MITx course, "the amount learned is somewhat greater than in the traditional lecture-based course," Pritchard says.

Even the least-prepared learn

A second, more surprising finding, he says, is that those who were least prepared, as shown by their scores on pretests, "learn as well as everybody else." That is, the amount of improvement seen "is no different for skillful people in the class"—including experienced physics teachers—"or students who were badly prepared. They all showed the same level of increase," the study found.

Even if a student with a lower initial score still ends the online class with a test score that would represent a failing grade, that person would nevertheless have made substantial gains in understanding, Pritchard says. "This actually is a case where a rising tide lifts all boats," he says.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-09-online-classes.html#jCp

 

Jensen Comment
The first MOOC ever broadcast free to the world was an artificial intelligence course in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University. The lectures  were filmed live in class. Students on campus who signed up for the course for credit were given a choice of either going to class or watching the MOOC videos (over and over). Over half of those on campus students elected not to go to class. Of course for credit they had to do the course assignments and take the examinations alongside students who opted to go to class. Research on the differences in grades for students who attended class versus those who studied the videos was not possible, because students who attended class could also study the videos after class. Both groups of students could also have private sessions with instructors via email and office hours.

Of course there are some types of courses where in-class participation is essential to learning in the course. For example, in a Socratic-method course or case-method course where the instructor lets the students serendipitously teach each other, the onsite classes would probably be less meaningful if students could choose not to participate in live classes on campus.

There are distance education technologies for letting remote students participate in class discussions, but I don't think most MOOCs make use of this type of remote feedback. A MOOC course may have thousands or tens of thousands of students signed up for the course. It's impossible to allow each and every student to participate in class discussions among all students in the course.

I still don't have much hope for unmotivated students who learn from MOOCs. There is hope for turning on unmotivated students who take onsite campus courses or online distance education courses with lots of interaction between students and instructors.

"Time for the New Fall Season—for TV, and for MOOCs," by Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 23, 2014 ---
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/time-for-the-new-fall-season-for-tv-and-for-moocs/54611?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

Despite a host of questions about the staying power of MOOCs, more free megacourses are starting this month than ever before. Here are some highlights.

Continued in ar6ticle

The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning --- http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/index

Bob Jensen's threads on MOOCs, tutorials, videos, and other free learning materials from prestigious universities ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI


Bob Jensen's Links to Open Sharing Materials, Videos, Tutorials, and Courses in Various Academic Disciplines ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm

Directory of Open Access Journals --- http://doaj.org

The Journal of Electronic Publishing --- http://www.journalofelectronicpublishing.org/

VYOM eBooks Directory --- http://www.vyomebooks.com/

Search for electronic books --- http://www.searchebooks.com/ 
There were 293 hits for accounting books.

Bob Jensen's threads on electronic books are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ebooks.htm

Internet Resources --- http://www.internet-resources.com/writers/wrlinks-wordstuff.htm
 
Carnegie Mellon Libraries: Digital Library Colloquium (video lectures) --- http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/DLColloquia.html
 
Free Merriam Webster Online Dictionary/Thesaurus --- http://www.m-w.com/

Literary Terms --- http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/index.html

Literary Criticism --- http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/

“PoemTalk” Podcast, Where Impresario Al Filreis Hosts Lively Chats on Modern Poetry ---
http://www.openculture.com/2013/02/poemtalk_podcast_where_impresario_al_filreis_hosts_lively_chats_on_modern_poetry.htm

Internet FAQ Archives --- http://www.faqs.org/faqs/

JURN (search engine for humanities and social science research) --- http://www.jurn.org/

Grad Life: McGill University Blogs --- http://blogs.mcgill.ca/gradlife/

Bob Jensen's threads on listservs, blogs, and the social media ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ListservRoles.htm

Also see
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI


College Credits Without Courses
"Managing Competency-Based Learning," by Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed, September 29, 2014 ---
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/29/college-america-spins-its-custom-made-learning-management-system

Southern New Hampshire University, seeing an opening in the market for a learning management system designed around competency-based education, is spinning off the custom-made system it built to support College for America.

Before College for America launched in January 2013, the university considered building a platform to support the competency-based education subsidiary on top of the learning management system used on campus, Blackboard Learn. The university instead picked Canvas, created by Instructure, but after only a couple of months, “we decided we needed to build our own,” said Paul J. LeBlanc, president of the university.

For most colleges and universities, any one of the major learning management systems on the market will likely meet their requirements for posting course content and engaging with students outside the classroom. But for institutions that don’t tie academic progress to the course or the credit hour -- or have an unconventional method of delivering education -- those same systems may be restrictive.

“We speak of the world of LMSes as a world that’s designed around content delivery, course delivery and the mechanics of running a course,” LeBlanc said. “It’s very course-centric, so we built our program on the basis of our relationship with our students.”

LeBlanc and College for America are calling it a “learning relationship management system,” a composite term to describe a learning management system build on top of Salesforce, the popular customer relationship management software. LeBlanc said the system aims to strike a balance between “lots of things that CIOs love” -- such as software as a service and cloud hosting -- with “what educators love.”

For students, the system looks more like a social network than a learning management system. When they log in, students are greeted by an activity feed, showing them a tabbed view of their current projects, goals and feedback. A column on the right side of the screen lists connections and to-dos, and a bar along the top tracks progress toward mastering competencies.

Behind the scenes, faculty members and administrators are treated to a stream of data about everything students do inside the system, from when they submitted their paperwork and their statement of purpose to the surveys they have answered and the time spent talking to academic coaches.

“I think this next generation of systems is really going to be about data and analytics and relationship management,” LeBlanc said. “The whole shift in conversation, it seems to me, is about student-centeredness.”

On Oct. 1, one year after the system went live at College for America, the university is spinning it off as Motivis Learning and writing the for-profit subsidiary a $7 million check. In its first phase, LeBlanc said, the company will further develop its platform based on how other institutions are approaching competency-based learning.

One of Motivis’s early design partners, the University of Central Missouri, hopes to use system to cut down on administrative overlap. Its Missouri Innovation Campus program, which gives students an opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree two years after graduating high school, has in its first year attempted to tie together data from a school district, a community college and a four-year institution with manual spreadsheet work.

“We’ve likened it to trying to cobble together three different student information systems, three different registrations ..., three student IDs, three admissions portfolios,” said Charles M. (Chuck) Ambrose, president of the university. “What we’re trying to envision is that this LMS will help move us to a superhighway or an Autobahn.”

The university will also be able to invite local businesses into the system, allowing internship supervisors to log students’ progress instead of filling out a paper form, Ambrose said.

Central Missouri’s model is one of many Motivis is interested in tweaking its system to support, said Brian Peddle, College for America’s chief technology officer, who will become the company's CEO. One idea, he said, is to produce the common features of any learning management system, then offer “building blocks” to support traditional courses, competency-based learning and other modes of delivery.

Continued in article

Bob Jensen's threads on alternative universities that now have competency-based learning alternatives ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Assess.htm#ConceptKnowledge

Some like Western Governors University require course enrollments but grade on the basis of competency-based examinations.

Others like the University of Wisconsin, the University of Akron, and Southern New Hampshire do no require course enrollments.


Lifted Without Attribution From Her Student's Thesis
"U. of Arizona Reprimands Professor in Wake of Plagiarism Inquiry," by Nick DeSantis, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 29, 2014 ---
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-arizona-reprimands-professor-in-wake-of-plagiarism-inquiry/86939?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

The University of Arizona has reprimanded a professor after an investigation into allegations that she plagiarized the work of a former student, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

The student accused Susannah Dickinson, an assistant professor in Arizona’s School of Architecture, of lifting material from his master’s thesis and presenting it as her own work. Ms. Dickinson was the faculty adviser for the student’s thesis.

A university committee reviewed three allegations of plagiarism. Andrew C. Comrie, the university’s provost, described the committee’s findings in a letter to Arizona’s president, Ann Weaver Hart. He wrote that the university had found that the professor’s conduct had risen to the level of misconduct in the form of plagiarism in one of the cases. He determined that Ms. Dickinson should be issued a “formal admonishment” acknowledging the misconduct.

He said that although Ms. Dickinson’s infraction “was not necessarily severe, there is nevertheless a need to make her aware that research misconduct by its very nature is of serious concern and that it is treated as such by the University of Arizona.”

Ms. Dickinson declined to comment to the newspaper. A university spokeswoman told the newspaper that it could not discuss personnel matters, but added that the university “takes allegations of plagiarism and other research misconduct very seriously and follows the same process pertaining to such alleged research misconduct in every case.

Bob Jensen's threads on professors who cheat ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Plagiarism.htm#ProfessorsWhoPlagiarize


Bloomberg Terminal --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomberg_Terminal
"Incredible Images Of Wall Street Trading Before The Bloomberg Terminal," by Elena Holodny, Business Insider, September 29, 2014 ---
 http://www.businessinsider.com/old-wall-street-trading-technology-2014-9


Question
What accredited law schools offer online tax LL.M. degrees?

Answer (these degrees typically take three years to complete for full-time students unless students already have law degrees)
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2014/09/nine-law-schools.html

Selected Online Masters of Accounting and Masters of Taxation Programs ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/CrossBorder.htm#MastersOfAccounting
Time between enrollment and graduation depends a great deal on meeting prerequisite requirements in accountancy, and business core (including economics and ethics). I'm biased in recommending such degrees from only AACSB-accredited business programs, although not necessarily AACSB-accredited accounting programs. Some of the most prestigious AACSB-accredited universities do not have the added accountancy specialized accreditation.

From US News in 2014
Best Online Degree Programs (ranked)
---
http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education

Best Online Undergraduate Bachelors Degrees --- http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/bachelors/rankings
Central Michigan is the big winner

Best Online Graduate Business MBA Programs --- http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/mba/rankings
Indiana University is the big winner

Best Online Graduate Education Programs --- http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/education/rankings
Northern Illinois is the big winner

Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs --- http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/engineering/rankings
Columbia University is the big winner

Best Online Graduate Information Technology Programs ---
http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/computer-information-technology/rankings
The University of Southern California is the big winner

Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs --- http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/nursing/rankings
St. Xavier University is the big winner

US News Degree Finder --- http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/features/multistep-oe?s_cid=54089
This beats those self-serving for-profit university biased Degree Finders

US News has tried for years to rank for-profit universities, but they don't seem to want to provide the data.

Bob Jensen's threads on online education and training programs ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/CrossBorder.htm


Deep Rift Exposed as SUNY-Buffalo Law School Dean Resigns; Faculty Foes Allege Perjury, Mismanagement of Law School ---
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2014/09/deep-rift-exposed-as-suny-buffalo-dean-resigns-.html


Is Big Really Better?
"Apple's Giant iPad May Be Coming In Mid-2015," by Lisa Eadicicco, Business Insider, September 25, 2014 ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-12-inch-ipad-pro-release-rumors-2014-9 

Tim Cook Confirms The Apple Watch Can Be Used To Track You As You Walk Around ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-tracking-via-bluetooth-and-ibeacon-2014-9#ixzz3E37GXtzk
But not exactly a GPS device.


"BlackBerry’s Last Gasp: The Weird, Wonderful Passport," by David Pogue, Yahoo Tech, September 24, 2014 ---
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-touchscreen-smartphone-has-become-one-of-the-98286819979.html


Teachers Erasing the Wrong Answers and Filling in the Right Answers for Bigger Pay Raises
"Here's How An Alleged Cheating Ring That Could Send Atlanta Teachers To Prison Was Uncovered," by Erin Fuchs, Business Insider, September 25, 2014 ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-was-the-atlanta-cheating-scandal-was-uncovered-2014-9 

Bob Jensen's Fraud Updates ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudUpdates.htm 


"How U.S. Colleges Are Screwing Up Their Books, in Three Charts," by Ira Sager, Bloomberg Businessweek, September 24, 2014 ---
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-24/us-colleges-and-universities-are-still-in-deep-financial-trouble

Video: Harvard’s High Pay Ruffles Feathers of Alumni ---
http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2014-08-28/harvard-s-high-pay-ruffles-feathers-of-alumni

A New Teaching Structure Could Make College More Affordable. Why Don't More Schools Adopt It? ---
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-19/a-new-teaching-structure-could-make-college-more-affordable-dot-why-dont-more-schools-adopt-it

"Small U.S. Colleges Battle Death Spiral as Enrollment Drops," by Michael McDonald, Bloomberg News, April 14, 2014 ---
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-14/small-u-s-colleges-battle-death-spiral-as-enrollment-drops.html?cmpid=yhoo.inline

"One-Third of Colleges Are on Financially 'Unsustainable' Path, Bain Study Finds," by Goldie Blumenstyk, The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 23, 2012 ---
http://chronicle.com/article/One-Third-of-Colleges-Are-on/133095/

Bob Jensen's threads on higher education controversies ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm


"Marriage Rates Keep Falling, as Money Concerns Rise," by Claire Cain Miller, The New York Times, September 24, 2014 ---
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/upshot/for-the-young-money-is-increasingly-trumping-marriage.html?rref=upshot&abt=0002&abg=1


"Why everybody is moving to Texas," by Les Christie, CNN Money, September 29, 2014 ---
http://money.cnn.com/2014/09/29/real_estate/affordable-housing-growth/index.html?iid=Lead

More Americans moved to Texas in recent years than any other state: A net gain of more than 387,000 in the latest Census for 2013. And Austin was the fastest growing major city.

Jobs is the No. 1 reason for population moves, with affordable housing a close second.

"It take two things to draw people inland in big numbers: jobs and housing affordability," said Nela Richardson, chief economist for the real estate broker Redfin.

Texas and other heartland states have two advantages that translate into affordable housing: Plenty of cheap land around cities and easy regulations that enable developers to build quickly.

Related: Best cities for Millennial buyers

Nine of the top 10 fastest growing U.S. metro areas last year were ones where homes were more affordable than the U.S. average, according to Redfin. Many were in Texas, Oklahoma, Utah and other heartland states.

Five Texas cities -- Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth -- were among the top 20 fastest growing large metro areas.

Some smaller Texas metro areas grew even faster. In oil-rich Odessa, the population grew 3.3% and nearby Midland recorded a 3% gain.

obs was the main driver in Austin, where population rose by 2.6% between 2012 and 2013. That's nearly four times faster growth than the United States as a whole.

Jobs are plentiful in Austin, where the unemployment rate is just 4.6%. Moody's Analytics projects job growth to average 4% a year through 2015.

Just as important, many jobs there are well paid: The median income of more than $75,000 is nearly 20% higher than the national median. The median home price is $243,000, higher than the U.S. norm, but a price level that income can support.

Related: Mansions for under $1 million

During the boom years, population actually grew faster in high-priced markets like New York and San Francisco.

Continued in article


Comparison of Prison Occupation Rates Between Various Nations
Note the Bar Chart ---
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-18/norway-exports-inmates-to-netherlands-to-solve-prison-crowding?campaign_id=DN092214
Canada and U.S. are neck-and-neck while Brazil is out of sight.

Jensen Comment
Nations vary as to rough treatment of prisoners. Nobody wants to be in a Russian or North Korean prison. Practically all criminals in Venezuela would rather be in prison.

Venezuelan Prisons: Paradise for Criminals Gangsters Run the Show amid the Farce of State "Security" ---
http://blog.panampost.com/marcela-estrada/2014/01/24/venezuela-prisons-paradise-crime-part/


From Forbes in 2014
Best Nations for Doing Business (taxation, regulation, credit policy and other matters) ---
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fgdi45eflkk/best-places-to-do-business-3/

Jensen Comment
I think this is a useless ranking because "doing business" can be defined in so many ways from production to sales to financing to the personal lives, numbers, and skills  of local workers. Uncertainty for the future must also be factored in when "doing business" entails capital investment and relocation of key workers.

For example the second-highest-ranked nation above, Hong Kong, is also the most uncertain nation given the conflicts that erupted in 2014 between Hong Kong and its parent mainland China. Investment and relocation decisions are much more risky in Hong Kong's changed business climate.

New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland may be good sales markets but these high-welfare nations are not noted for motivated or skilled labor. Also relocation costs can be very high in terms of personal income taxes and real estate prices in these nations.

Ireland carries the baggage of being in the Eruozone. Both the United Kingdom and Ireland carry the advantages and disadvantages of being in the troubled European Union --- troubles ranging from immigration unrest to carrying of high unemployment nations like Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The EU is threatening to take some of the tax advantages of Ireland out of the picture. There are also business uncertainties for USA companies doing business amidst an unfriendly EU attitude to USA companies. Exhibit A comprises the huge fines of high tech companies (e.g., Google and Microsoft) for anti-trust "violations."

The United Kingdom more than any other European Nation is troubled with Jihadist unrest and terrorism threats that could become more focused on businesses. South Korea faces the faces enormous problems of bordering an insane nuclear-armed North Korea.

The USA has the highest corporate tax rates and the most complicated system for avoiding taxes. The sales markets are great in the USA, but many corporations are seeking to reduce USA tax obligations and labor costs with relocations of production in other places like Mexico and Asia. The USA also is probably the most litigious nation with over 80% of the tort lawyers of the world.

About all that can be said for the top 10 nations above is that they are more politically stable and enforce contracts better than most of the other 183 nations, particularly the many nations having civil strife, massive corruption, violent gangs, revolution, and very militant labor unions that scare the bejeebers out of companies thinking about production investments.  Exhibit A is Venezuela. Exhibit B is Bolivia.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of Singapore is its stability and near-absence of corruption. But it's too small to be compared to a potential sales market like China and India. China could become the business center of the world if it could rid itself of massive corruption. The same can be said about India. If the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) could become less corrupt than the USA, Canada, Australia, and the EU the world of commerce would become almost totally dominated by the BRICs.

But the BRICs will flounder as long as they continue to be inflicted to massive corruption. None of the BRICs made the 2014 top 10 list shown above.


From The Chronicle of Higher Education on September 29, 2014

U.S. Institutions With the Most Foreign Students, 2012-13

U.S. Colleges With the Highest Percentages of Nonresident-Alien Students, Fall 2012

Number of People Holding Active U.S. Student Visas, by Region or Country of Origin, 2014

Fields of Study of Foreign Students in U.S., by Selected Places of Origin, 2012-13

"NYU Eats World:  An alumna laments the rise of an imperial university," by Claudia Dreifus, Chronicle of Higher Education's Chronicle Review, September 29, 2014 ---
http://chronicle.com/article/NYU-Eats-World/148979/?cid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en

Bob Jensen's threads on higher education controversies ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm


Counterfactuals --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfactual_conditional

"What If Counterfactuals Never Existed? Studying history with hypotheticals," by Cass R. Sunstein, New Republic, September 20, 2014

Altered Pasts: Counterfactuals in History by Richard J. Evans (Brandeis University Press)
Also see
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/altered-pasts-richard-j-evans/1117485087?ean=9781611685381

As everyone knows, the supreme court 
ruled six–three for Al Gore in the great dispute over the Florida recount in 2000. As everyone also knows, Gore emerged as the ultimate victor in that recount, and with his poetic and moving inauguration address he managed to unify a badly divided nation. For a long period, the Gore years continued the peace and prosperity established under President Clinton, punctuated by the successful prevention of an apparent terrorist plot in 2001, by the enactment of health care reform in 2003 (mocked by critics as GoreCare), and by aggressive steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, culminating in the historic Copenhagen Protocol, ratified by the U.S. Senate in 2005.

It was not until the nation's financial collapse, beginning in 2007, that Gore's presidency started to unravel. Senator John McCain, a longtime critic of Gore's “failure to respect free markets,” succeeded in convincing the American public that the collapse was partly a product of the Democratic Party's “regulatory overreach," and he was able to trounce Senator Joseph Biden in the 2008 election. Now in his second term, McCain has presided over a successful recovery (with unemployment levels down to 8 percent from their high of 13 percent in 2010). But his own legislative agenda, including repeal of GoreCare and immigration reform, has been stymied by what McCain calls the “do-nothing Senate,” 
which has a slim Democratic majority. Many insiders think that the Democratic nominee in 2016 will be Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. According to University of Chicago law professor Barack Obama, a specialist on election law,  Klobuchar is perfectly positioned to win her party's nomination—and to triumph in the general election as well. She's audacious.”

What if Jesus had never been crucified? Can we imagine a world without Christianity? Suppose that Germany won World War II. What would Europe and the United States be like now? Imagine that Kennedy had not been assassinated. Would the Vietnam war have been avoided? Would the 1960s have been fundamentally different? Would Reagan have become president? Would the Soviet 
Union still exist?

Speculative writers love to explore counterfactual history. Science fiction novels dominate the territory, and perhaps the whole area can be treated as science fiction, but in literature we can find a number of counterfactualists who do not fit easily in that category, including the Roman historian Livy, Nathaniel Hawthorne, G. K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Vita Sackville-
West, and Philip Roth. An anthology that was published in 1931 included an essay by Winston Churchill called “If Lee Had Not Won the Battle of Gettysburg,” which imagines a world in which the Confederacy had won the Civil War. (Mackinlay Kantor wrote a once-famous novel on the same subject.) Philip K. Dick’s masterpiece, The Man in the High Castle, from 1962, describes a world in which Franklin Delano Roosevelt was assassinated and Japan, Italy, and Germany won World War II. (In Dick’s narrative, people are even reading a counterfactual novel, The Grasshopper 
Lies Heavy, in which the Germans and Japanese lost the war.) Robert Harris's Fatherland (1992) has a similar theme, which has become a favorite, even an 
obsession, of counterfactual novelists.

Counterfactual history has intrigued and confounded philosophers, social scientists, and some distinguished historians as well. Psychologists focus on “hindsight bias”—the judgment that whatever happened was bound to happen. An appreciation of hindsight bias naturally leads to an investigation of counterfactuals. But many historians are deeply skeptical, seeing the whole enterprise as childish and silly, a kind of parlor game. After all, the Supreme Court ruled for Bush rather than Gore; Jesus was crucified; Germany lost World War II; Kennedy was assassinated. What is the point in asking about how things would have turned out otherwise? Who can possibly know, or care? E. P. Thompson described “counterfactual fictions” as “Geschichtswissenschlopff, unhistorical shit.” Michael Oakeshott, who rarely agreed with Thompson, on this point had the same view, declaring that the “question in history is never what must, or what might have taken place, but solely what the evidence obliges us to conclude did take place.”

Richard Evans is a widely admired historian with a particular interest in twentieth-
century Germany. With respect to history’s might-have-beens, he agrees with Thompson and Oakeshott: “In the effort to understand, counterfactuals aren’t any real use at all.” He laments that “fantasizing is now all the rage, and threatens to overwhelm our perceptions of what really happened in the past, pushing aside our attempts to explain it.” He insists that some things are “speculation, not history,” and generally useless—possibly fun, but a distraction from serious business.

Continued in article

Jensen Comment
In academic accountancy possible counterfactuals abound. Suppose Schools of Accountancy had actually become three year programs fashioned exactly like law schools? What if case method research, like legal research, dominated those schools and accountics science that now dominates our Academy had never gotten off the ground?

 


"Education Officials Flunk Statistics 101:  'Big data' analysis provides insights into everything from school attendance to the progress of talented students," by Harold O. Levy, The Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2014 ---
http://online.wsj.com/articles/harold-o-levy-education-officials-flunk-statistics-101-1410729084?tesla=y&mod=djemMER_h&mg=reno64-wsj

As students return to school this fall, some basic math may come as a surprise: The data that officials employ to judge students and schools is misunderstood, ignored and or misused, particularly when measuring the performance of low-income students.

There is, however, reason for optimism. New "big data" methods for better analyzing more information are improving education research, forcing administrators, teachers, students and parents to question long-held assumptions.

Consider truancy. Nearly all school districts proudly report around 90% average daily attendance. That statistic is misleading. It might seem like only one-in-ten students is out on any given day, but that is not really the case. Some students always show up; others miss the bell often. A school district could report 90% average attendance and still have 40% of its students chronically absent, as a 2012 report by Johns Hopkins researchers Robert Balfanz and Vaughan Brynes showed.

A closer look at the numbers reveals that truant children miss about a month of class every year. As they advance from one grade to the next, their learning gaps eventually become so pronounced that they can't keep up. These children run a much greater risk of dropping out, eliminating opportunities for the rest of their lives. The situation is worst in low-income and minority neighborhoods. In California, African-American students were truant last year at a rate more than 2.5 times their white counterparts, according to a report released on Friday by the state's Attorney General Kamala Harris.

Call it the "broken window" theory of student performance. Just as crime went down when cops realized that addressing minor infractions such as broken windows prevented bigger crimes like muggings, so too education officials could help children stay in school as teenagers if they made attendance a bigger priority earlier.

Another area where education officials flunk Stats 101 is how we treat high-performing, low-income students. A study by the organization I run, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, used Education Department data to track talented students. Only 59% of smart children—those who scored in the top 25% on standardized tests—from low-income households graduate from college. But 77% of similarly bright children from wealthy families finish an undergraduate degree. By one measure, high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds graduate from college at about the same rate as low-scoring students from affluent families.

Yet school leaders and politicians have done nothing to help these high-achievers prepare to continue their success in college, although their performance is all the more impressive considering the challenges they face. The federal government's only program supporting gifted students—the Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act—was appropriated a grand total of $5 million in 2014 and nothing in the previous three years.

Arguably the most prominent example is the movement to hold students back if they fail to meet state standards. When around 2000 the "no social promotion" policy, as advocates such as Rudy Giuliani called it, gathered momentum, it sounded reasonable. Today, six states have enacted or are about to adopt this "tough love" policy.

Here's the problem: No independent academic study suggests it works. Repeated studies have shown that being held back destroys a student's confidence, and once left back that student is far more likely to drop out than a similar student who was promoted. Those who have been held back are twice as likely as comparable peers to repeat a grade for a second time, according to a 1996 study by the Texas Education Agency.

New studies using innovative analytical techniques have told us even more. Research on summer school, for instance, has in the past shown that the extra weeks did little to improve student performance. But in 2007 Cornell University economist Jordan Matsudaira used data to create a "synthetic control group" composed of thousands of statistically identical students, those who came from the same socioeconomic background with the same test scores.

Mr. Matsudaira found that students who attended summer school performed better and were less likely to drop out. It had a similar effect as cutting class size down by a third. In fact, the researchers concluded that summer programs are among the most cost-effective intervention strategies for the lowest performing students.

But this finding has not prompted a resurgence of summer programs, just as the compelling data on the lower college-graduation rates of high-achieving students from poor backgrounds has not led to helpful policy changes. It's rare to find a school administrator who is comfortable parsing statistics or stays ahead of the academic literature. So these insights go undeveloped, and students who could be saved are not.

Perhaps teachers, administrators and bureaucrats will pay attention as new data in education proliferates, but today's struggling students can't wait that long. The lag between what we already know and how we teach is robbing children of their future, and undermining the idea that America is a meritocracy.

Mr. Levy, executive director of Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which provides scholarships to exceptionally high-achieving students from low-income families, was New York City schools chancellor in 2000-02.


"How the Education Spendthrifts Get Away With It:  Politicians exploit Americans' sense that local education costs are about half of what is really being spent," by Paul E. Peterson (Harvard), The Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2014 ---
http://online.wsj.com/articles/paul-peterson-how-the-education-spendthrifts-get-away-with-it-1411339685?tesla=y&mod=djemMER_h&mg=reno64-wsj

Money for schools has again become a campaign issue. In the Florida governor's race, Charlie Crist says that the "first thing [Gov. Rick Scott ] does when he comes in . . . is cut education by $1.3 billion." To which Gov. Scott replies, "The $18 billion in funding for K-12 education funding is the highest in Florida history and includes a record $10.6 billion in state funds." Pennsylvania's Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Tom Wolf accuses Republican Gov. Tom Corbett of cutting the state's school budget by $1 billion, to which Gov. Corbett replies that spending has actually risen. Similar claims and counterclaims have been heard in Illinois, Michigan, Florida, Kansas and elsewhere.

It's easy to see why candidates promise more money for schools. As long as taxes are ignored and no mention is made of current levels of expenditure, calling for more spending is a political no-brainer. In the recently released Education Next poll of a nationally representative sample of the public, for which I serve as a co-director, 60% of Americans say they want to spend more. Among parents, 70% want more spending, and 75% of teachers agree.

But if one drills down, much of that enthusiasm evaporates in a cloud of confusion and inconsistency. We discovered this by dividing respondents to our survey into three randomly selected, equally representative groups.

The first group was asked whether they thought school spending "to fund public schools in your district should increase, decrease or stay the same?" The second group, though asked that same question, was first told the level of expenditure per pupil in their district for 2011 (the most recent year for which data is available from the Education Department). The third group was given that same information but was asked whether they thought "taxes to fund public schools in your district should increase, decrease or stay the same?"

Support for more spending fell to 44% from 60% when respondents were given information on current amounts of spending. Levels fell further to only 26% favoring more spending among the group asked if they favored tax increases to fund higher spending.

Political debates over school spending also take place in a fog because the public has the illusion that the rest of the nation's schools are expensive but their local schools are a bargain. When asked to estimate per-pupil expenditures nationwide, the public makes an average estimate of $10,155—almost exactly the $10,615 per-pupil expenditure level estimated by the Bureau of the Census for school expenditures in 2012, though lower than the $12,608 per-pupil figure reported for 2011 by the Department of Education.

But when asked about costs locally, Americans think their schools are giving their children an education at reasonable prices. On average, they say the cost is only $6,486 per pupil in their district, barely half the actual costs of $12,608 per pupil in 2011, according to the Education Department. Local estimates by both parents and teachers are even lower.

The wide disparity in these estimates of national versus local expenditures is bizarre, as the sum total of all local expenditures are equivalent to those nationwide. The differing estimates may be partly due to differences in news coverage. National school expenditures are a regular part of the debate between Democrats and Republicans, making the topic worthy for the national media. In 2013 The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. per-pupil expenditures in 2011 had dipped slightly to $10,560. A month later, CBS News said the "United States spent more than $11,000 per elementary student in 2010 and more than $12,000 per high-school student."

Local school costs per pupil do not get the same coverage. For one thing, local school officials never report them, and local politicians have little incentive to do so. Those wanting to increase spending have a stake in obscuring local levels of expenditure, and those concerned about costs find it more worthwhile to propose tax cuts. While local school spending information can be found on the National Center for Educational Statistics website, few reporters have the incentive to dig deeply.

Education expenditures may become a local issue if the school board wants to raise local taxes. But, on average, only 45% of school costs come from local revenues, with states (45%) and the federal government (10%) supplying the remainder. Money coming from state and federal governments is usually treated by local politicians as "free" to the local community, and thus attention given to costs target only that 45% of the total borne by the local community.

The public may also believe other school districts waste money but their local one does not. More generally, the public may suffer a delusion that for lack of a better phrase might be labeled "buyer's delight," the tendency for people to think they "got a deal" even when an objective observer would conclude otherwise.

Buyer's delight may also explain why people think their local schools are so much better than the nation's schools: In the Education Next poll, 58% of adults with school-age children give a grade of an A or B to their local schools, but only 26% give these same two good grades to the nation's schools.

Whatever the reasons for the misperceptions, the facts are clear: Parents, teachers and the public at large all think that local schools are giving them more for less—even when that is unlikely. That's why politicians who favor more spending deliberately sow confusion about current expenditures. These are all reasons why transparency in spending should be part of the school-reform conversation.

Mr. Peterson, a professor at Harvard University, directs its Program on Education Policy and Governance.

Jensen Comment
For me the issue is not so much how much is spent. Rather it's how much is wasted. I watch the school bus go by and 7:45 am and return at 2:00 pm. After taking out times for breakfast and lunch, students are getting about 4 hours of classroom and break time per school day. Some students spend almost as much time on busses and in cafeterias as they do with teachers.

The USA K-12 graduates rank well below graduates of other developed nations in math, science, and reading and most every other topic that's tested. The USA is doing a relatively good job in schooling of disabled students with special needs but neglects its highly intelligent children by sending them home with less than 760 hours per year in the classroom at an average cost of $15+ per pupil per hour in relatively large classes.

Meanwhile the teachers unions make it virtually impossible to fire ineffective and unmotivated teachers. Drug infestations long-confined to urban school districts are now reaching out into rural schools. Gangland violence meanwhile has overtaken virtually all public schools in large USA cities.

But due to grade inflation most of the students are graduating with A-B averages even if they do poorly in math, science, and reading. The USA is not getting much bang for its buck in K-12 education after adjusting for grade inflation.


Human Development Reports (United Nations) --- http://hdr.undp.org/en


Mexico's Drug Cartels Have An Ingeniously Simple Method Of Laundering Money ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/laundering-mexicos-drug-money-washing-up-2014-9

Bob Jensen's Fraud Updates --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudUpdates.htm


Since the Top 20 winners are all state-supported universities, it's not clear if all private universities like Notre Dame and Stanford do worse or if they were excluded from the ranking. It's also not clear how "make the most on sports" is defined.

Some college football powerhouses like Notre Dame request that alumni gifts be unrestricted making it difficult to determine which gifts are contingent, albeit indirectly, upon having an exciting football team. For example, many colleges have a President's Club for unrestricted gifts of, say $1,000+ per year. Those unrestricted gifts may carry some athletic benefits such as parties before or after homecoming games. But they might be classified differently from gifts that designate uses in athletics.

The 20 Colleges That Make The Most Money On Sports ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/texas-revenue-college-sports-2014-9


Multicollinearity --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multicollinearity

Singular Matrix --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invertible_matrix#singular

"Least Squares, Perfect Multicollinearity, & Estimable Function," by David Giles, Econometrics Blog, September 19, 2014 ---
http://davegiles.blogspot.com/2014/09/least-squares-perfect-multicollinearity.html

. . .

The best way to think about multicollinearity in a regression setting is that it reflects a shortage of information. Sometimes additional information can be obtained via additional data. Sometimes we can "inject" additional information into the problem by means of exact or stochastic restrictions on the parameters. (The latter is how the problem is avoided in a Bayesian setting.) Sometimes, we can't do either of these things.
 
Here, I'll focus on the most extreme case possible - one where we have "perfect multicollinearity". That's the case where X has less than full rank, so that (X'X) doesn't have a regular inverse. It's the situation outlined above.
 
For the least squares estimator, b, to be defined, we need to be able to solve the normal equation, (1). What we're interested in, of course, is a solution for every element of the b vector. This is simply not achievable in the case of perfect multicollinearity. There's not enough information in the sample for us to be able to uniquely identify and estimate every individual regression coefficient. However, we should be able to identify and estimate certain linear combinations of those coefficients. These combinations are usually referred to as "estimable functions" of the parameters.

Continued in article

It's relatively uncommon for accountics scientists to criticize each others' published works. A notable exception is as follows:
"Selection Models in Accounting Research," by Clive S. Lennox, Jere R. Francis, and Zitian Wang,  The Accounting Review, March 2012, Vol. 87, No. 2, pp. 589-616.

This study explains the challenges associated with the Heckman (1979) procedure to control for selection bias, assesses the quality of its application in accounting research, and offers guidance for better implementation of selection models. A survey of 75 recent accounting articles in leading journals reveals that many researchers implement the technique in a mechanical way with relatively little appreciation of important econometric issues and problems surrounding its use. Using empirical examples motivated by prior research, we illustrate that selection models are fragile and can yield quite literally any possible outcome in response to fairly minor changes in model specification. We conclude with guidance on how researchers can better implement selection models that will provide more convincing evidence on potential selection bias, including the need to justify model specifications and careful sensitivity analyses with respect to robustness and multicollinearity.

. . .

CONCLUSIONS

Our review of the accounting literature indicates that some studies have implemented the selection model in a questionable manner. Accounting researchers often impose ad hoc exclusion restrictions or no exclusion restrictions whatsoever. Using empirical examples and a replication of a published study, we demonstrate that such practices can yield results that are too fragile to be considered reliable. In our empirical examples, a researcher could obtain quite literally any outcome by making relatively minor and apparently innocuous changes to the set of exclusionary variables, including choosing a null set. One set of exclusion restrictions would lead the researcher to conclude that selection bias is a significant problem, while an alternative set involving rather minor changes would give the opposite conclusion. Thus, claims about the existence and direction of selection bias can be sensitive to the researcher's set of exclusion restrictions.

Our examples also illustrate that the selection model is vulnerable to high levels of multicollinearity, which can exacerbate the bias that arises when a model is misspecified (Thursby 1988). Moreover, the potential for misspecification is high in the selection model because inferences about the existence and direction of selection bias depend entirely on the researcher's assumptions about the appropriate functional form and exclusion restrictions. In addition, high multicollinearity means that the statistical insignificance of the inverse Mills' ratio is not a reliable guide as to the absence of selection bias. Even when the inverse Mills' ratio is statistically insignificant, inferences from the selection model can be different from those obtained without the inverse Mills' ratio. In this situation, the selection model indicates that it is legitimate to omit the inverse Mills' ratio, and yet, omitting the inverse Mills' ratio gives different inferences for the treatment variable because multicollinearity is then much lower.

In short, researchers are faced with the following trade-off. On the one hand, selection models can be fragile and suffer from multicollinearity problems, which hinder their reliability. On the other hand, the selection model potentially provides more reliable inferences by controlling for endogeneity bias if the researcher can find good exclusion restrictions, and if the models are found to be robust to minor specification changes. The importance of these advantages and disadvantages depends on the specific empirical setting, so it would be inappropriate for us to make a general statement about when the selection model should be used. Instead, researchers need to critically appraise the quality of their exclusion restrictions and assess whether there are problems of fragility and multicollinearity in their specific empirical setting that might limit the effectiveness of selection models relative to OLS.

Another way to control for unobservable factors that are correlated with the endogenous regressor (D) is to use panel data. Though it may be true that many unobservable factors impact the choice of D, as long as those unobservable characteristics remain constant during the period of study, they can be controlled for using a fixed effects research design. In this case, panel data tests that control for unobserved differences between the treatment group (D = 1) and the control group (D = 0) will eliminate the potential bias caused by endogeneity as long as the unobserved source of the endogeneity is time-invariant (e.g., Baltagi 1995; Meyer 1995; Bertrand et al. 2004). The advantages of such a difference-in-differences research design are well recognized by accounting researchers (e.g., Altamuro et al. 2005; Desai et al. 2006; Hail and Leuz 2009; Hanlon et al. 2008). As a caveat, however, we note that the time-invariance of unobservables is a strong assumption that cannot be empirically validated. Moreover, the standard errors in such panel data tests need to be corrected for serial correlation because otherwise there is a danger of over-rejecting the null hypothesis that D has no effect on Y (Bertrand et al. 2004).10

Finally, we note that there is a recent trend in the accounting literature to use samples that are matched based on their propensity scores (e.g., Armstrong et al. 2010; Lawrence et al. 2011). An advantage of propensity score matching (PSM) is that there is no MILLS variable and so the researcher is not required to find valid Z variables (Heckman et al. 1997; Heckman and Navarro-Lozano 2004). However, such matching has two important limitations. First, selection is assumed to occur only on observable characteristics. That is, the error term in the first stage model is correlated with the independent variables in the second stage (i.e., u is correlated with X and/or Z), but there is no selection on unobservables (i.e., u and υ are uncorrelated). In contrast, the purpose of the selection model is to control for endogeneity that arises from unobservables (i.e., the correlation between u and υ). Therefore, propensity score matching should not be viewed as a replacement for the selection model (Tucker 2010).

A second limitation arises if the treatment variable affects the company's matching attributes. For example, suppose that a company's choice of auditor affects its subsequent ability to raise external capital. This would mean that companies with higher quality auditors would grow faster. Suppose also that the company's characteristics at the time the auditor is first chosen cannot be observed. Instead, we match at some stacked calendar time where some companies have been using the same auditor for 20 years and others for not very long. Then, if we matched on company size, we would be throwing out the companies that have become large because they have benefited from high-quality audits. Such companies do not look like suitable “matches,” insofar as they are much larger than the companies in the control group that have low-quality auditors. In this situation, propensity matching could bias toward a non-result because the treatment variable (auditor choice) affects the company's matching attributes (e.g., its size). It is beyond the scope of this study to provide a more thorough assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of propensity score matching in accounting applications, so we leave this important issue to future research.

Common Accountics Science and Econometric Science Statistical Mistakes ---
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/temp/AccounticsScienceStatisticalMistakes.htm

 


Question
As Atlantic City sinks into the sea will Las Vegas sink into the sand?

"A Gloom Has Taken Over The Biggest Gambling Center On The Planet." Lynette Lopez, Business Insider, September 16, 2014 ---
 http://www.businessinsider.com/macau-slowing-continues-after-summer-slump-2014-9#ixzz3DUngbBeS

Jensen Comment
And to add pain to misery, Las Vegas is running out of water and possibly electric power from Hoover Dam.


"The 25 Most Successful Stanford Business School Graduates," by Richard Feloni, Business Insider, September 9, 2014 ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/famous-stanford-business-school-students-2014-9?op=1 

Jensen Comment
When I was in Stanford's Graduate School of Business I took a course from a psychologist on the faculty of the GSB. For a series of years Professor Harrell had a grant from the U.S. Navy to collect a huge database on factors suspected, in combination, leading to "success." He claimed that the biggest factor was the problem of defining "success" --- what he called the Criterion Problem ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Assess.htm#CriterionProblem

There's also a factor of advantage. The parents of Bill Gates could afford to send him to Harvard and help him with resources to buy the PC DOS system for $50,000 from IBM. How many really poor undergraduate students could have done as well or better if IBM gave away the PC DOS system in some sort of competitive contest?


From Bloomberg Businessweek on September 16, 2014

Why Tesla's Legal Breakthrough in Massachusetts Could Be a Big Deal

Massachusetts's highest court denied auto dealerships' challenge to Tesla's straight-to-consumers sales model, which paves the way for other states to do the same.

Jensen Comment
This is a mixed blessing. Dealers are generally obligated to have expertise for repair and service of the vehicles they sell, especially those under long-term warranties. If an electric motor fails on a Tesla vehicle in Sugar Hill, NH who repairs it?

I consider it unwise to buy a car, truck, or tractor that's not within 30 miles of a dealer. When I bought my tractor I opted for a New Holland since that was the only local tractor dealer (about 10 miles away in Littleton). I would not have purchased our Subaru car if there was not a dealer conveniently located 20 miles away in Vermont.

I was worried when I purchased a Dell Laptop since the repair experts are 160 miles away in Boston. So I purchased an onsite warranty. The Dell repair experts came to my home three times thus far to replace motherboards on my main computer, and I still have two years left on the service contract. Dell lost a lot of money selling me a computer in these mountains.

I can't imagine that Tesla sells an onsite warranty for the White Mountains in New Hampshire. If there is such an onsite warranty it would probably cost and arm and a leg. Of course nobody is likely to buy an all-electric car in such a cold climate since electric cars have greatly reduced ranges in very cold climates. MIT engineers claim this is one of the most difficult problems to solve for all-electric cars.

Also most electric cars, including Tesla models, are built too close to the ground for snow country. Of course some buyers might have an all-season car and a summer electric car. But if x adults in a household commute long distances, the family might need x all-season cars.


"U. of Pittsburgh Won’t Make Faculty Sign Away Intellectual-Property Rights," by Andy Thomason, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 12, 2014 ---
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/jp/u-of-pittsburgh-wont-make-faculty-sign-away-intellectual-property-rights?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

The University of Pittsburgh has backed down from a plan to require faculty members to sign away their intellectual-property rights, indefinitely postponing the deadline it had set for them to do so, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The university’s provost, Patricia E. Beeson, said she would form a task force to examine the issue. The faculty assembly this week approved a resolution asking the university’s administration to delay the deadline.

Administrators have said an explicit agreement, in which faculty members agree to transfer their intellectual-property rights to the university, is required under a 2011 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bob Jensen's threads on higher education controversies ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm


"Accounting Doctoral Programs:  A Multidimensional Description," by Amelia A. Baldwin, Carol E. Brown and BradS. Trinkle.
http://www.academia.edu/532495/Accounting_Doctoral_Programs_A_Multidimensional_Description
Advances in Accounting Education: Teaching and Curriculum Innovations, Volume 11, 101–128Copyright r 2010 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN: 1085-4622/doi:10.1108/S1085-4622(2010)000001100

Accounting doctoral programs have been ranked in the past based on publishing productivity and graduate placement. This chapter provides descriptions of accounting doctoral programs on a wider range of characteristics. These results may be particularly useful to doctoral applicants as well as to doctoral program directors, accreditation bodies, and search committees looking to differentiate or benchmark programs. They also provide insight into the current shortage of accounting doctoral graduates and future areas of research. Doctoral programs can be differentiated on more variables than just research productivity and initial placement. Doctoral programs vary widely with respect to the following characteristics: the rate at which doctorate sare conferred on women and minorities, the placement of graduates according to Carnegie classification, AACSB accreditation, the highest degree awarded by employing institution (bachelors, masters, doctorate),

Continued in article

 

Table 1. Accounting Doctoral Graduates by Program, 1987–2006(Size; 3,213 Graduates).
http://www.academia.edu/532495/Accounting_Doctoral_Programs_A_Multidimensional_Description
Note that I corrected the ranking for North Texas State from the original table
The average of 161 per year has been declining. In 2013 there were only 136 new accounting doctorates in the USA.
Rank Program    # Rank Program    # Rank Program     # Rank  Program     #
01 Texas A&M 87 25 Arkansas 46 49 Columbia 31 73 MASS 17
02 Texas 78 26 Florida State 45 50 Drexel 31 74 Syracuse 16
03 Illinois 72 27 Indiana 45 51 Northwester 31 74 Wash St. Louis 15
04 Mississippi 70 28 Tennessee 44 52 Cornell 30 75 Central Florida 14
05 Va. Tech 70 29 Texas Tech 44 53 Purdue 29 76 Cincinnati 14
06 Kentucky 69 30 Georgia St. 43 54 Minnesota 28 77 Cleveland St 14
07 Wisconsin 69 31 Colorado 42 55 Oklahoma 28 78 MIT 13
08 North Texas 65 32 NYU 42 56 Penn 28 79 Fla Atlantic 12
09 Arizona 64 33 Oklahoma St 42 57 Rochester 28 80 UCLA 12
10 Georgia 64 34 Rutgers 42 58 So. Illinois 28 81 Union NY 10
11 Penn State 63 35 Alabama 41 59 Oregon 27 82 Texas Dallas 09
12 Nebraska 61 36 Va. Common 40 60 Texas Arling. 27 83 Tulane 08
13 Arizona St. 60 37 Memphis 38 61 Utah 27 84 Duke 6
14 Houston 60 38 Stanford 37 62 Baruch 25 85 Jackson St. 6
15 Michigan St. 60 39 Chicago 36 63 Connecticut 24 86 Fla. Internat. 4
16 Washington U 55 40 Missouri 36 64 Carnegie M. 23 87 SUNY Bing. 4
17 So. Carolina 54 41 No. Carolina 36 65 Geo. Wash 23 88 Yale 4
18 Michigan 52 42 So. Calif. 36 66 Wash. State 23 89 Ga. Tech 3
19 La. Tech 51 43 UC Berkeley 35 67 Kansas 22 90 Rice 3
20 Ohio State U 50 44 Boston Univ 35 68 SUNY Buffalo 21 91 Tx. San Anton. 3
21 Kent State 49 45 Maryland 35 69 St. Louis 21 93 Miami 2
22 LSU 49 46 Pittsburg 35 70 CWRU 19 94 Cal. Irvine 1
23 Florida 47 47 Iowa 34 71 Harvard 19 95 Hawaii 1
24 Mississippi St 47 48 Temple 34 72 South Fla. 19 96 Vanderbilt 1

Jensen Comment
For years prior to 1987 and years subsequent to 2006 you can see the data by years in a sequence of the Accounting Faculty Directories by James Hasselback. For example, for years 1995-current go to
http://www.jrhasselback.com/AtgDoct/XDocChrt.pdf
For years prior to 1995 you have to go to earlier editions of Jim's directories.

There are some minor discrepancies. For example, the above table shows 3 graduates for Rice after 1987 whereas Jim Hasselback shows no graduates at Rice after 1995. I did not check for all the discrepancies between the two data sources. Rice no longer has a doctoral program in accountancy. There are several newer (small) programs such as the one at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Nearly all of the long-time programs declined dramatically in output from their pre-1995 years, especially the University of Illinois, the University of Washington. the University of Georgia, the University of Arkansas, Indiana University, and Michigan State University. The Texas state universities kept a more steady average although output varies year-to-year.

In past few years since 2010 Arizona, Arizona State, Rutgers, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, Stanford, and Mississippi maintained an average of three or more per year. Chicago in recent years has quite a few in the program but has an average of less than two graduates per year. This suggests to me that there might be more ABDs dammed up at the University of Chicago than in most other doctoral programs. UT Dallas and Illinois are also suspect in this regard ---
http://www.jrhasselback.com/AtgDoct/XDocChrt.pdf

The Baldwin, Brown, and Trinkle paper goes on to discuss trends over time in the leading programs and much much more. I did not quote data from their paper that was not previously provided by Jim Hasselback at
http://www.jrhasselback.com/AtgDoct/XDocChrt.pdf

A few of the many important revelations in the BBT study that might be noted for 1987-2006:

There is much more detailed information available in this study at
http://www.academia.edu/532495/Accounting_Doctoral_Programs_A_Multidimensional_Description

Bob Jensen's threads on careers are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob1.htm#careers


"Gender Ratios at Top PhD Programs in Economics," by Galina Hale and Tali Regev, April 8, 2013 ---
http://econ.tau.ac.il/papers/foerder/2013-10.pdf

The growing concern for the under-representation of women in science and engineering has prompted an interest in the mechanisms driving the share of women in these fields, and in the effect that the gender diversity of the faculty has on the share of female students. Interestingly, some universities are more successful than others in recruiting and retaining women, and in particular female graduate students. Why is this the case? This paper explores the uneven distribution of female faculty and graduate students across ten of the top U.S. PhD programs in economics. We find that the share of female faculty is correlated with the share of female graduate students and show that this correlation is causal. We instrument for the share of female faculty by using the number of male faculty leaving the department as well as the simulated number of leavings. We find that a higher share of female faculty has a positive effect on the share of female graduate students graduating 6 years later.

Women are under represented in science and engineering. In 2010, Men outnumbered women in nearly every science and engineering field in college, and in some fields, women earned only 20 percent of bachelor’s degrees, with representation declining further at the graduate level (Hill et al., 2010). In economics, women constituted 33 percent of the graduating PhD students, and only 20 percent of faculty at PhD granting institutions (Fraumeni, 2011). Women in economics have been shown to have different career paths than men and to be promoted less (Kahn, 1993; Dynan and Rouse, 1997; McDowell et al., 1999; Ginther and Kahn, 2004). Focusing on the progression of women through the academic ladder, most research has failed to fully account for the effect that successful women in the field have had on the entrance and success of other women. More specifically, the gross effect that women faculty have on the share of female students have not been fully explored. In this study we address this gap in the literature and focus on the causal relationship between the share of female faculty in top economics departments and the share of graduating female PhD students.

Continued in article

Jensen Comment
Women seem to be making greater strides in Ph.D. achievements in economics that in many other science fields. It would seem that they could make greater strides in fields like computer science where males dominate to a much higher degree.

In economics at the undergraduate and masters levels in North America there are significantly more male graduates than female graduates. Having more female teachers tends to increase the number of undergraduate majors according to the above study.

In accounting at the undergraduate and masters levels in North America there are significantly more women graduates than men, and the large CPA firms hire more women than men. There is a possible glass ceiling, however, in terms of newly-hired CPA-firm women who eventually become partners. That is a very complicated story for another time other than to note that the overwhelming majority of newly-hired males and females in large CPA firms willingly leave those firms after gaining experience and very extensive training.

Many of those departures go to clients of CPA firms where the work tends to have less travel and less night/weekend duties as well as less stress. In my opinion most accounting graduates who go to work for CPA firms did not ever intend to stay with those CPA firms after gaining experience and training. This accounts for much of the turnover, especially in large CPA firms. Turnover has an advantage in that it creates more entry-level jobs for new graduates seeking experience and extensive training.

Bob Jensen's threads on the history of women in the professions ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm#Women

Bob Jensen's threads on careers are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob1.htm#careers


"Learning From Benjamin Franklin," by Jana Vembunarayanan, Seeking Wisdom, September 12, 2014 ---
http://janav.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/learning-from-benjamin-franklin/


When Extracurricular Activities Become Dysfunctional
"‘Excellent Sheep’ Author Returns to Yale to Tend His Flock," by Dan Barrett, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 26, 2014 ---
http://chronicle.com/article/Excellent-Sheep-Author/149003/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Jensen Comment
The Ivy League schools are especially vulnerable since there is no competition for top grades in most courses --- virtually everybody is assured of getting the top grade. If the median grade in every course was a C grade then extracurricular activities would no longer be such a distraction.

Of course dysfunctional grade inflation has hit almost every college and university in the USA ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Assess.htm#RateMyProfessor


"Nobel-Winning Playwright Eugene O’Neill on Happiness, Hard Work, and Success in a Letter to His Unmotivated Young Son," by Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, September 15, 2014
http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/09/15/eugene-oneill-hard-work-letter-to-son/

“Any fool knows that to work hard at something you want to accomplish is the only way to be happy.”

By the time he was fifty, playwright Eugene O’Neill had just about every imaginable cultural accolade under his belt, including three Pulitzers and a Nobel Prize. But the very tools that ensured his professional success — dogged dedication to his work, an ability to block out any distraction, razor-sharp focus on his creative priorities — rendered his personal life on the losing side of a tradeoff. Thrice married, he fathered three children with his first two wives. His youngest son, Shane, was a sweet yet troubled boy who worshipped his father but failed to live up to his own potential.

In the summer of 1939, as O’Neill completed his acclaimed play The Iceman Cometh, Shane was expelled from yet another school. Frustrated with the boy’s track record of such dismissals over the course of his academic career, O’Neill sent his 19-year-old son a magnificent letter epitomizing tough love, found in Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children (public library) — the wonderful anthology that gave us Albert Einstein’s advice to his son on the secret to learning anything, Sherwood Anderson on the key to the creative life, Benjamin Rush on travel and life, Lincoln Steffens on the power of not-knowing, and some of history’s greatest motherly advice. While heavy on the love, O’Neill’s letter is also unflinchingly honest in its hard truths about life, success, and the key to personal fulfillment.

’Neill doesn’t take long to cut to the idea that an education is something one claims, not something one gets. With stern sensitivity, he issues an admonition that would exasperate the archetypal millennial (that archetype being, of course, merely another limiting stereotype) and writes:

All I know is that if you want to get anywhere with it, or with anything else, you have got to adopt an entirely different attitude from the one you have had toward getting an education. In plain words, you’ve got to make up your mind to study whatever you undertake, and concentrate your mind on it, and really work at it. This isn’t wisdom. Any damned fool in the world knows it’s true, whether it’s a question of raising horses or writing plays. You simply have to face the prospect of starting at the bottom and spending years learning how to do it.

O’Neill’s son seems to suffer from Fairy Godmother Syndrome — the same pathology afflicting many young people today, from aspiring musicians clamoring to be on nationally televised talent competitions that would miraculously “make” their career to online creators nursing hopes of being “discovered” with a generous nod from an established internet goddess or god. O’Neill captures this in a beautiful lament:

Continued in article


In a “coordinated effort,” officials at the University of North Texas manipulated payroll spending to receive extra money ($75 million) from the state, says a report from the Texas state auditor ---
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/jp/u-of-north-texas-took-more-than-75-million-extra-from-state-auditor-finds?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Bob Jensen's Fraud Updates ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudUpdates.htm




From the Scout Report on September 19, 2014

ettrs --- http://lettrs.com 

Email, text, twitter, chat. Communication has become fast, easy, and - as the lettrs website would like to remind you - disposable. This app allows you to write and send beautiful letters using a variety of templates. You can post letters publicly, send them privately over text and email, and even, for a small fee, mail them via USPS. This nifty app is currently available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.


Watchup ---  http://www.watchup.com 

Watchup wants to reinvent the way you watch the news. Starting is easy- just turn it on and, based on your location, newscasts begin to play. As you pick and choose what draws you, Watchup learns your interests, and feeds you more on that. Meanwhile, it suggests contextualizing articles to accompany the broadcasts. Think of it as Pandora for news junkies. Available for iPhone (iOS 7.0 and later) and Android (3.0 and up)


Three Centuries On, Scotland Decides to Stand with the U.K.
Scotland Rejects Independence in Record-Breaking Referendum
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/scotland-independence-vote/scotland-rejects-independence-record-breaking-referendum-n206876

Scotland: UK news
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/scotland

U.K.’s price for keeping Scotland: More autonomy
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/09/19/scotland-what-next-referendum-vote/15874397/

What Happened Last Time Scotland Tried for Greater Independence?
https://time.com/3380088/scotland-independence/

The History Behind the Scottish Independence Vote
http://www.history.com/news/the-history-behind-the-scottish-independence-vote

Five secessionist movements that could learn from Scotland
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/17/world/scotland-five-other-separatist-movements/index.html?iid=article_sidebar


From the Scout Report on September 26, 2014

Find My iPhone, iPad, and Mac --- https://www.apple.com/icloud/find-my-iphone.html 

Installing this free app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac could save you a lot of trouble. In addition to finding a lost device on a map, Find My iPhone allows you to sign in with the Apple ID you use for iCloud and remotely lock it, play a sound, display a message, or erase all your data. This helpful tool requires iOS 7.0 or later.  


Lumosity --- http://www.lumosity.com

Lumosity is an extremely popular app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 6.0 and later). Developed by neuroscientists, the clean and user-friendly interface features a suite of games designed to improve cognitive processes in five areas: speed, memory, attention, flexibility, and problem solving. The games are fun and - who knows? - they might even make you smarter. One caveat: after a short free trial period, monthly subscriptions start at around $6.70 a month.


Earth’s Water is Older than the Sun
Water on Earth is older than the sun, scientists say
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-old-water-on-earth-20140923-story.html


Study finds solar system’s water older than the sun
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-space-water-idUSKCN0HK28320140925

Study Finds Solar System’s Water Is Older Than the Sun
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/study-finds-solar-systems-water-older-sun-n211726

University of Michigan: Astronomy
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/astro/research/overview

The ancient heritage of water ice in the solar system
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6204/1590.short

Water Vapor Found on Neptune-Sized Exoplanet
http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/water-vapor-found-on-neptune-sized-exoplanet-140925.htm

 




Free online textbooks, cases, and tutorials in accounting, finance, economics, and statistics --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm#Textbooks


Education Tutorials

Directory of Open Access Journals --- http://doaj.org

PBS Learning Media (700+ videos) --- http://www.pbslearningmedia.org
Bob Jensen's threads on free courses, tutorials, videos, and other learning materials from prestigious universities ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI
For tens of thousands of other free learning materials see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm

AlphaGalileo (science news) --- http://www.alphagalileo.org

Grad Life: McGill University Blogs --- http://blogs.mcgill.ca/gradlife/

Bob Jensen's bookmarks for multiple disciplines ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm


Engineering, Science, and Medicine Tutorials

PBS Learning Media (700+ videos) --- http://www.pbslearningmedia.org

Open Science World (reports from leading scientists on current happenings) --- http://openscienceworld.com

Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space: Rocket Fuel for the Souls of Budding Sagans ---
http://brainpickings.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=13eb080d8a315477042e0d5b1&id=a1d3915950&e=4d2bd13843

W.M. Keck Observatory --- http://www.keckobservatory.org

 NSTA Blog: Talk about science and science teaching
http://nstacommunities.org/blog/

Capturing the History of Biotech --- http://lifesciencesfoundation.org

NSF:  Physics Discoveries --- http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/index.jsp?prio_area=11

FusEdWeb: Fusion Education --- http://fusedweb.llnl.gov

Physics Education Research Central --- http://www.compadre.org/per/

Open Source Physics --- http://www.compadre.org/osp/

The Physics Front: Technology Tool Archive ---
http://www.compadre.org/precollege/features/FeatureArchive.cfm?Type=TechTool&C=Precollege

Physics Education Research Central --- http://www.compadre.org/per/

NSF:  Physics Discoveries --- http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/index.jsp?prio_area=11

Physics to Go --- http://www.compadre.org/informal/

CERN: Celebrating 60 years of science for peace (physics) --- http://home.web.cern.ch

The Particle Adventure --- http://particleadventure.org

Physics Teacher Education Coalition  --- http://www.ptec.org/

Forces of Nature: National Geographic Education ---
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/forces-of-nature/?ar_a=1

MagLab U: Learning about Electricity and Magnetism --- http://www.magnet.fsu.edu/education/tutorials/

AlphaGalileo (science news) --- http://www.alphagalileo.org

BirdWatching --- http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com

Bird Sites --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2-Part2.htm#---Birds

The Stanford Astrobiology Course --- http://web.stanford.edu/group/astrobiology/cgi-bin/

ScienceBlogs --- http://scienceblogs.com/

Science in School --- http://www.scienceinschool.org/

Inside Science TV --- http://www.ams.org/news/discoveries/discoveries

Sci Show (videos on how things work) --- https://www.youtube.com/user/scishow

New Jersey Institute of Technology: OpenCourseWare --- http://ocw.njit.edu/index.php

PLOS Blogs Network (Public Library of Science) --- http://blogs.plos.org/

Doctors Without Borders --- http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Building and Fire Research Portal--- http://www.nist.gov/building-and-fire-research-portal.cfm

Grad Life: McGill University Blogs --- http://blogs.mcgill.ca/gradlife/

From the Scout Report on September 26, 2014

Earth’s Water is Older than the Sun
Water on Earth is older than the sun, scientists say
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-old-water-on-earth-20140923-story.html


Study finds solar system’s water older than the sun
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-space-water-idUSKCN0HK28320140925

Study Finds Solar System’s Water Is Older Than the Sun
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/study-finds-solar-systems-water-older-sun-n211726

University of Michigan: Astronomy
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/astro/research/overview

The ancient heritage of water ice in the solar system
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6204/1590.short

Water Vapor Found on Neptune-Sized Exoplanet
http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/water-vapor-found-on-neptune-sized-exoplanet-140925.htm

Bob Jensen's threads on general education tutorials are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#EducationResearch

Bob Jensen's threads on free online science, engineering, and medicine tutorials are at ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm


Social Science and Economics Tutorials

PBS Learning Media (700+ videos) --- http://www.pbslearningmedia.org

Human Rights Watch: Defending Human Rights Worldwide --- http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014

Autograph ABP (human rights photography charity) --- http://autograph-abp.co.uk

 NSTA Blog: Talk about science and science teaching
http://nstacommunities.org/blog/

Bob Jensen's threads on free courses, tutorials, videos, and other learning materials from prestigious universities ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI
For tens of thousands of other free learning materials see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm

The Upshot (liberal interactive New York Times site on politics and economics) --- http://www.nytimes.com/upshot

Human Development Reports (United Nations) --- http://hdr.undp.org/en

A Crash Course on Psychology: A 30-Part Video Series from Hank Green ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/5hgP3fDGNnU/a-crash-course-on-psychology.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Warren G. Harding - Carrie Fulton Phillips Correspondence ---
http://www.loc.gov/collection/warren-harding-carrie-fulton-phillips-correspondence/about-this-collection/

Doctors Without Borders --- http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Happiness Research Institute --- http://www.happinessresearchinstitute.com

The Only Footage of Mark Twain: The Original & Digitally Restored Films Shot by Thomas Edison ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/jy7HzbOv_5Y/the-only-footage-of-mark-twain-the-original-digitally-restored-films.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Bloomberg Terminal --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomberg_Terminal
"Incredible Images Of Wall Street Trading Before The Bloomberg Terminal," by Elena Holodny, Business Insider, September 29, 2014 ---
 http://www.businessinsider.com/old-wall-street-trading-technology-2014-9

Thomas Robert Malthus --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robert_Malthus

Malthus Revival:  World Population Will Not Plateau in 2050 After All
"U.N. Predicts New Global Population Boom:  A new study says the population could hit 12 billion by 2100, though it doesn’t take into account the effects of climate change, food shortages, disease, or conflict," by David Talbot, MIT's Technology Review, September 18, 2014 ---
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/530866/un-predicts-new-global-population-boom/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-daily-all&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20140919

Story Maps Illustrate Metro Area and County Population Change --- http://www.census.gov/dataviz/visualizations/maps/

Where We Came From, State by State
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/upshot/where-people-in-each-state-were-born.html

New Upshot Tool Provides Historical Look at Migration
http://taxfoundation.org/blog/new-upshot-tool-provides-historical-look-migration

Migration Study Shows Illinois Residents Bolt State For Warm Climates
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/08/15/migration-study-shows-illinois-residents-bolt-state-for-warm-climates/?utm_medium=VPH&utm_source=topvph_news&utm_campaign=577413

American Migration [Interactive Map]
http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2011/migration.html

A State-by-State Look at Where Each Generation Lives
http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-generational-population-data-maps-by-state.html

Story Maps Illustrate Metro Area and County Population Change ---
http://www.census.gov/dataviz/visualizations/maps/

The State of the World Population 2013: Motherhood in Childhood ---
http://www.unfpa.org/swp#ref_state-of-world-population-2013

American Migrations
http://americanmigrations.uic.edu

Grad Life: McGill University Blogs --- http://blogs.mcgill.ca/gradlife/

Bob Jensen's threads on Economics, Anthropology, Social Sciences, and Philosophy tutorials are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm


Law and Legal Studies

Human Rights Watch: Defending Human Rights Worldwide --- http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014

Bob Jensen's threads on law and legal studies are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm


Math Tutorials

Bob Jensen's threads on free online mathematics tutorials are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm


History Tutorials

PBS Learning Media (700+ videos) --- http://www.pbslearningmedia.org

Partisan Review Now Free Online: Read All 70 Years of the Preeminent Literary Journal (1934-2003) ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/CBZxCNIh-Es/partisan-review-now-free-online.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Historical Photographs of China --- http://hpc.vcea.net
Also see Paul Pacter's private collection ---
http://www.whencanyou.com/index.htm 

The Collections - Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (islamic art) --- http://darmuseum.org.kw/dai/the-collections/

Making the Invisible Visible: Conservation and Islamic Art ---
http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/invisible-visible

Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys --- http://bridgingcultures.neh.gov/muslimjourneys/

"Learning From Benjamin," Franklin Jana Vembunarayanan, Seeking Wisdom, September 12, 2014 ---
http://janav.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/learning-from-benjamin-franklin/

Rubin Museum of Art: Art of the Himalayas --- http://www.rubinmuseum.org

America’s Music --- http://americasmusic.tribecafilminstitute.org

Readers Predict in 1936 Which Novelists Would Still Be Widely Read in the Year 2000 ---
http://www.openculture.com/2014/09/readers-predict-in-1936-which-novelists-would-be-read-in-2000.html

The Guggenheim Puts 109 Free Modern Art Books Online ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/uExpWICXECQ/the-guggenheim-puts-109-free-modern-art-books-online.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Winston Churchill’s Paintings: Great Statesman, Surprisingly Good Artist --
http://www.openculture.com/2014/09/winston-churchills-paintings.html

Warren G. Harding - Carrie Fulton Phillips Correspondence ---
http://www.loc.gov/collection/warren-harding-carrie-fulton-phillips-correspondence/about-this-collection/

Bagpipe Stories ---
http://books.google.ca/books?id=n0QuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA36&lpg=PA36&dq=%22Bagpipe+Story%22&source=bl&ots=tlgyVtfvdL&sig=ObmFIb9UMQ7QV60HBeEDLauC0ic&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CcUiVLeRMtauyATa-IDwCw&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22Bagpipe%20Story%22&f=false
Also see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes

James Joyce Centre --- http://jamesjoyce.ie

The James Joyce Society http://www.joycesociety.org/ 
Ulysses for Dummies http://www.bway.net/~hunger/ulysses.html 

Bob Jensen's threads on history tutorials are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm
Also see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm  

"Nobel-Winning Playwright Eugene O’Neill on Happiness, Hard Work, and Success in a Letter to His Unmotivated Young Son," by Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, September 15, 2014
http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/09/15/eugene-oneill-hard-work-letter-to-son/

Alaska Historical Society --- http://alaskahistoricalsociety.org

Brooklyn Revealed --- http://www.brooklynrevealed.com

DC Cool --- http://www.dccool.com

The Howling Fantods (all about David Foster Wallace) ---  http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/dfw

From the Scout Report on September 19, 2014

Three Centuries On, Scotland Decides to Stand with the U.K.
Scotland Rejects Independence in Record-Breaking Referendum
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/scotland-independence-vote/scotland-rejects-independence-record-breaking-referendum-n206876

Scotland: UK news
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/scotland

U.K.’s price for keeping Scotland: More autonomy
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/09/19/scotland-what-next-referendum-vote/15874397/

What Happened Last Time Scotland Tried for Greater Independence?
https://time.com/3380088/scotland-independence/

The History Behind the Scottish Independence Vote
http://www.history.com/news/the-history-behind-the-scottish-independence-vote

Five secessionist movements that could learn from Scotland
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/17/world/scotland-five-other-separatist-movements/index.html?iid=article_sidebar


Language Tutorials

Bob Jensen's links to language tutorials are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm


Music Tutorials

America’s Music --- http://americasmusic.tribecafilminstitute.org

Bob Jensen's threads on free music tutorials are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob2.htm

Bob Jensen's threads on music performances ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm


Writing Tutorials

"Truth in Adjectivizing," by William Germano, Chronicle of Higher Education's Chronicle Review, September 17, 2014 ---
http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2014/09/17/truth-in-adjectivizing/?cid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en

From the Scout Report on September 19, 2014

ettrs --- http://lettrs.com 

Email, text, twitter, chat. Communication has become fast, easy, and - as the lettrs website would like to remind you - disposable. This app allows you to write and send beautiful letters using a variety of templates. You can post letters publicly, send them privately over text and email, and even, for a small fee, mail them via USPS. This nifty app is currently available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

Bob Jensen's helpers for writers are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob3.htm#Dictionaries



Updates from WebMD --- http://www.webmd.com/

September 16, 2014

September 17, 2014

September 18, 2014

September 19, 2014

September 20, 2014

September 23, 2014

September 25, 2014

September 26, 2014

September 27, 2014

September 29, 2014

 


Start School Later (for health reasons) --- http://www.startschoollater.net
Jensen Comment
This would greatly complicate the lives of parents who must be at work at 8:30 am or earlier. For example, if school buses arrive later this would not leave enough time for many parents to commute to work in time for present workday starting times. Later starting times for schools may entail greatly revised time scheduling  of employers of parents.


Sort of makes you not want to be a very frequent flier (among many other reasons these days)
Melanoma Incidence Is Much Higher for Flight Crews

Why?

From the Harvard Business Review Blog on September 22, 2014

Airline pilots’ and cabin crews’ incidence of the dangerous skin cancer melanoma is about twice that of the general population, and their death rate from the disease is 42% higher, according to a New York Times report of a scholarly analysis of 19 studies. The reason is unclear, but the researchers point out that exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet A radiation, a melanoma risk factor, is twice as great at 30,000 feet as at ground level, and airplane windows provide only minimal protection. The researchers suggest that crews wear sunscreen when they’re aloft.

SOURCE: Airplane Crew May Face Increased Melanoma Risk

 


Scientists In Belgium Have An Exciting Idea About How To Stop Cancer From Spreading ---
http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-cancer-spread-health-research-2014-9

 

 

 

 




A Bit of Humor

20 Free Essays & Stories by David Sedaris: A Sampling of His Inimitable Humor ---
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OpenCulture/~3/jU4ExG9pydw/20-free-essays-stories-by-david-sedaris.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Where are homeowners hoping for a pipeline's big leak?
A City In Belgium Is Building A 2-Mile-Long Underground Pipeline To Carry 1,500 Gallons Of Beer An Hour ---
http://www.businessinsider.com#ixzz3EWBgj8T2




Forwarded by Paula

HESE ARE ACTUAL COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY "THOMAS COOK VACATIONS" FROM DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS:

1. "I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local convenience store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts."

2. "It's lazy of the local shopkeepers in Puerto Vallarta to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during 'siesta' time -- this should be banned."

3. "On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food."

4. "We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our own swimsuits and towels. We assumed it would be included in the price."

5. "The beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room."

6. "We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as white but it was more yellow."

7. "They should not allow topless sunbathing on the beach. It was very distracting for my husband who just wanted to relax."

8. "No-one told us there would be fish in the water. The children were scared."

9. "Although the brochure said that there was a fully equipped kitchen, there was no egg-slicer in the drawers."

10. "We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they were all Spanish."

11. "The roads were uneven and bumpy, so we could not read the local guide book during the bus ride to the resort. Because of this, we were unaware of many things that would have made our holiday more fun."

12. "It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England. It took the Americans only three hours to get home. This seems unfair."

13. "I compared the size of our one-bedroom suite to our friends' three-bedroom and ours was significantly smaller."

14. "The brochure stated: 'No hairdressers at the resort.' We're trainee hairdressers and we think they knew and made us wait longer for service."

15. "When we were in Spain, there were too many Spanish people there. The receptionist spoke Spanish, the food was Spanish. No one told us that there would be so many foreigners."

16. "We had to line up outside to catch the boat and there was no air-conditioning."

17. "It is your duty as a tour operator to advise us of noisy or unruly guests before we travel."

18. "I was bitten by a mosquito. The brochure did not mention mosquitoes."

19. "My fiancee and I requested twin-beds when we booked, but instead we were placed in a room with a king bed. We now hold you responsible and want to be re-reimbursed for the fact that I became pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked."




Tidbits Archives --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm

More of Bob Jensen's Pictures and Stories
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Pictures.htm

Update in 2014
20-Year Sugar Hill Master Plan --- http://www.nccouncil.org/images/NCC/file/wrkgdraftfeb142014.pdf

Click here to search Bob Jensen's web site if you have key words to enter --- Search Site.
For example if you want to know what Jensen documents have the term "Enron" enter the phrase Jensen AND Enron. Another search engine that covers Trinity and other universities is at http://www.searchedu.com/

Online Distance Education Training and Education --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Crossborder.htm
For-Profit Universities Operating in the Gray Zone of Fraud  (College, Inc.) --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm#ForProfitFraud

Shielding Against Validity Challenges in Plato's Cave ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TheoryTAR.htm

The Cult of Statistical Significance: How Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice, and Lives ---
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/temp/DeirdreMcCloskey/StatisticalSignificance01.htm

How Accountics Scientists Should Change: 
"Frankly, Scarlett, after I get a hit for my resume in The Accounting Review I just don't give a damn"
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/temp/AccounticsDamn.htm
One more mission in what's left of my life will be to try to change this
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/temp/AccounticsDamn.htm 

What went wrong in accounting/accountics research?  ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/theory01.htm#WhatWentWrong

The Sad State of Accountancy Doctoral Programs That Do Not Appeal to Most Accountants ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/theory01.htm#DoctoralPrograms

AN ANALYSIS OF THE EVOLUTION OF RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS BY THE ACCOUNTING REVIEW: 1926-2005 ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/395wpTAR/Web/TAR395wp.htm#_msocom_1

Bob Jensen's threads on accounting theory ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/theory01.htm

Tom Lehrer on Mathematical Models and Statistics ---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfZWyUXn3So

Systemic problems of accountancy (especially the vegetable nutrition paradox) that probably will never be solved ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudConclusion.htm#BadNews

 

World Clock --- http://www.peterussell.com/Odds/WorldClock.php
Facts about the earth in real time --- http://www.worldometers.info/

Interesting Online Clock and Calendar --- http://home.tiscali.nl/annejan/swf/timeline.swf
Time by Time Zones --- http://timeticker.com/
Projected Population Growth (it's out of control) --- http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm
         Also see http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Populations.html
        
Facts about population growth (video) --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U
Projected U.S. Population Growth --- http://www.carryingcapacity.org/projections75.html
Real time meter of the U.S. cost of the war in Iraq --- http://www.costofwar.com/ 
Enter you zip code to get Census Bureau comparisons --- http://zipskinny.com/
Sure wish there'd be a little good news today.

Free (updated) Basic Accounting Textbook --- search for Hoyle at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm#Textbooks

CPA Examination --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cpa_examination
Free CPA Examination Review Course Courtesy of Joe Hoyle --- http://cpareviewforfree.com/

Rick Lillie's education, learning, and technology blog is at http://iaed.wordpress.com/

Accounting News, Blogs, Listservs, and Social Networking ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/AccountingNews.htm

Bob Jensen's Threads --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/threads.htm 
Current and past editions of my newsletter called New Bookmarks --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called Tidbits --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called Fraud Updates --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudUpdates.htm

Online Books, Poems, References, and Other Literature
In the past I've provided links to various types electronic literature available free on the Web. 
I created a page that summarizes those various links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm

Some of Bob Jensen's Tutorials

Accounting program news items for colleges are posted at http://www.accountingweb.com/news/college_news.html
Sometimes the news items provide links to teaching resources for accounting educators.
Any college may post a news item.

Accounting  and Taxation News Sites ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/AccountingNews.htm

 

For an elaboration on the reasons you should join a ListServ (usually for free) go to   http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ListServRoles.htm
AECM (Educators) http://listserv.aaahq.org/cgi-bin/wa.exe?HOME
AECM is an email Listserv list which provides a forum for discussions of all hardware and software which can be useful in any way for accounting education at the college/university level. Hardware includes all platforms and peripherals. Software includes spreadsheets, practice sets, multimedia authoring and presentation packages, data base programs, tax packages, World Wide Web applications, etc.

Over the years the AECM has become the worldwide forum for accounting educators on all issues of accountancy and accounting education, including debates on accounting standards, managerial accounting, careers, fraud, forensic accounting, auditing, doctoral programs, and critical debates on academic (accountics) research, publication, replication, and validity testing.

 

CPAS-L (Practitioners) http://pacioli.loyola.edu/cpas-l/  (Closed Down)
CPAS-L provides a forum for discussions of all aspects of the practice of accounting. It provides an unmoderated environment where issues, questions, comments, ideas, etc. related to accounting can be freely discussed. Members are welcome to take an active role by posting to CPAS-L or an inactive role by just monitoring the list. You qualify for a free subscription if you are either a CPA or a professional accountant in public accounting, private industry, government or education. Others will be denied access.
Yahoo (Practitioners)  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xyztalk
This forum is for CPAs to discuss the activities of the AICPA. This can be anything  from the CPA2BIZ portal to the XYZ initiative or anything else that relates to the AICPA.
AccountantsWorld  http://accountantsworld.com/forums/default.asp?scope=1 
This site hosts various discussion groups on such topics as accounting software, consulting, financial planning, fixed assets, payroll, human resources, profit on the Internet, and taxation.
Business Valuation Group BusValGroup-subscribe@topica.com 
This discussion group is headed by Randy Schostag [RSchostag@BUSVALGROUP.COM
FEI's Financial Reporting Blog
Smart Stops on the Web, Journal of Accountancy, March 2008 --- http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/mar2008/smart_stops.htm
FINANCIAL REPORTING PORTAL
www.financialexecutives.org/blog

Find news highlights from the SEC, FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board on this financial reporting blog from Financial Executives International. The site, updated daily, compiles regulatory news, rulings and statements, comment letters on standards, and hot topics from the Web’s largest business and accounting publications and organizations. Look for continuing coverage of SOX requirements, fair value reporting and the Alternative Minimum Tax, plus emerging issues such as the subprime mortgage crisis, international convergence, and rules for tax return preparers.
The CAlCPA Tax Listserv

September 4, 2008 message from Scott Bonacker [lister@bonackers.com]
Scott has been a long-time contributor to the AECM listserv (he's a techie as well as a practicing CPA)

I found another listserve that is exceptional -

CalCPA maintains http://groups.yahoo.com/taxtalk/  and they let almost anyone join it.
Jim Counts, CPA is moderator.

There are several highly capable people that make frequent answers to tax questions posted there, and the answers are often in depth.

Scott

Scott forwarded the following message from Jim Counts

Yes you may mention info on your listserve about TaxTalk. As part of what you say please say [... any CPA or attorney or a member of the Calif Society of CPAs may join. It is possible to join without having a free Yahoo account but then they will not have access to the files and other items posted.

Once signed in on their Yahoo account go to http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/TaxTalk/ and I believe in top right corner is Join Group. Click on it and answer the few questions and in the comment box say you are a CPA or attorney, whichever you are and I will get the request to join.

Be aware that we run on the average 30 or move emails per day. I encourage people to set up a folder for just the emails from this listserve and then via a rule or filter send them to that folder instead of having them be in your inbox. Thus you can read them when you want and it will not fill up the inbox when you are looking for client emails etc.

We currently have about 830 CPAs and attorneys nationwide but mainly in California.... ]

Please encourage your members to join our listserve.

If any questions let me know.

Jim Counts CPA.CITP CTFA
Hemet, CA
Moderator TaxTalk

 

 

 

 

Many useful accounting sites (scroll down) --- http://www.iasplus.com/links/links.htm

 

Bob Jensen's Sort-of Blogs --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/JensenBlogs.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called New Bookmarks --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called Tidbits --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called Fraud Updates --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudUpdates.htm

Some Accounting History Sites

Bob Jensen's Accounting History in a Nutshell and Links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/theory01.htm#AccountingHistory
 

Accounting History Libraries at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) --- http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/accountancy/libraries.html
The above libraries include international accounting history.
The above libraries include film and video historical collections.

MAAW Knowledge Portal for Management and Accounting --- http://maaw.info/

Academy of Accounting Historians and the Accounting Historians Journal ---
http://www.accounting.rutgers.edu/raw/aah/

Sage Accounting History --- http://ach.sagepub.com/cgi/pdf_extract/11/3/269

A nice timeline on the development of U.S. standards and the evolution of thinking about the income statement versus the balance sheet is provided at:
"The Evolution of U.S. GAAP: The Political Forces Behind Professional Standards (1930-1973)," by Stephen A. Zeff, CPA Journal, January 2005 --- http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2005/105/infocus/p18.htm
Part II covering years 1974-2003 published in February 2005 --- http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2005/205/index.htm 

A nice timeline of accounting history --- http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2187711/A-HISTORY-OF-ACCOUNTING

From Texas A&M University
Accounting History Outline --- http://acct.tamu.edu/giroux/history.html

Bob Jensen's timeline of derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudRotten.htm#DerivativesFrauds

History of Fraud in America --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/415wp/AmericanHistoryOfFraud.htm
Also see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Fraud.htm

Bob Jensen's Threads ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/threads.htm

More of Bob Jensen's Pictures and Stories
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Pictures.htm

All my online pictures --- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/PictureHistory/

 

Professor Robert E. Jensen (Bob) http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen
190 Sunset Hill Road
Sugar Hill, NH 03586
Phone:  603-823-8482 
Email:  rjensen@trinity.edu