Tuesday, July 28, 2009

SUNY Plattsburgh scholarships for Int'l students

Ace! NewsFlash

State University of New York at Plattsburgh (SUNY Plattsburgh) delight in welcoming international students from around the globe to its campus: an academically-challenging, beautiful, safe, and friendly place where professors and staff will help students discover their full potential.

SUNY Plattsburgh is home to a vibrant community of renowned teachers
and nationally recognized scholars, dedicated to engaging students and
helping them to succeed.

The college comprises three academic divisions:
* Arts and Science
* Education, Health and Human Services
* Its AACSB-accredited School of Business and Economics

The University offers nearly 60 bachelor's degree programs.
Biochemistry, biology, business, communication, environmental science,
hotel-restaurant management, nursing, and psychology are popular
majors.

All accepted international students are considered for financial aid
based on family income and resources, as well as academic achievement.
The average scholarship amount granted to international students is
$5,000.

Contact:

International Student Services
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Kehoe Administration Building, Room 209
101 Broad Street
Plattsburgh, New York 12901 USA
Phone: (518) 564-3287
Fax: (518) 564-3292
E-mail: iss@plattsburgh.edu

*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: ENGINEERING CO-OP PROGRAM

Ace! NewsFlash

New Cooperative Education Program in Engineering!

Florida Institute of Technology announced a Cooperative
Education option for engineering majors that is available to
international students. This program utilizes traditionally delivered
classes, on-line classes and three semesters of work experience.

* The program maintains a traditional four- year degree plan. The
difference in this program rather than the traditional program is that
all students will have a mixture of work experience and classes
through the summer terms

* Students will attend college for the entire first year and last
year. During the second and third years, students will alternate
four-month periods of classroom studies and employment

* An engineering student could earn $30,000+ from three
co-op/internship experiences that can be applied to the cost of
attendance

* The program can be well suited for transfer students with less than
one year of transferable credit or more than two years of transferable
credit

* The program also allows students to take advantage of the Fast-Track
Master's program. An engineering student could achieve both bachelor's
and master's degree plus one year of paid, hands-on experience in five
years

* International students will not lose out on post-degree curricular
practical training while participating in this program because the
work experience is a curriculum requirement.

* FIT offers scholarships up to $22000 per year.

For further information, contact:

Florida Tech Office of Admission
150 W University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901-6975
Phone: (321) 674-8030 * Fax: (321) 674-8004


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Friday, July 24, 2009

Discover Huntington Beach 2009

Ace! U.S. Lifestyle & Culture Insights

A California Beach Town Reinvents Itself, Again


In Huntington Beach, Calif., volleyball games are part of the scene.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S iconic Huntington Beach Pier is essentially a boardwalk peninsula, an ambling parade extending a third of a mile into the Pacific: fishermen, seal watchers, teenagers swinging shopping bags, retirees taking measure of a distant oil rig, boyfriends informing girlfriends they could totally dive into the water if they wanted to. Then, every so often, they all stop talking and look over the side.

That’s where the heart of this Orange County city resides, an ever-present pod of surfers bobbing patiently on either side of the huge wooden structure. The surfing never stops, but periodically an especially fine wave is met by an especially fine rider, and everyone admires the show. As well they should — these wet-suited specks in the water are what sunny Huntington Beach, incorporated a century ago this year, has built its latest identity around.

What was once simply a surf city in the U.S.A. has rebranded itself Surf City USA, after a heated legal battle with Santa Cruz over the coveted title. With the reinvention has come a flurry of development, designed to capitalize on the city’s reputation as a surf capital. May saw the opening of the Shorebreak, a chic 157-room boutique hotel with a surfing theme, just across the road from the postcard-perfect waves themselves.

The Shorebreak is the cornerstone of a larger commercial development, jamming stores into two blocks near the city’s most vibrant intersection: Main Street and the beach itself, an eight-and-a-half-mile stretch of gleaming, “Baywatch”-caliber sand. The city is trying something tricky: to build a four-season travel destination around an activity that mostly involves floating on molded foam. Of course it’s the lifestyle associated with surfing that defined the place for so long.

For years this was a community of little bungalows with wet suits drying on the railings, of jobs at the drugstore and summers spent barefoot. To visit Huntington was to witness another take on life itself, where the pace was slower, where professional aspirations were often eschewed for simply hanging 10 as much as possible. It wouldn’t last. Bob Bolen, a local resident, said he started surfing here 50 years ago. From 1960 until 1980 he ran a popular surf shop in what was then a sleepy beach town. Finally he saw the writing in the sand. “There started to be more money in real estate than surfboards,” he said.

Mr. Bolen now runs Huntington Beach Realty. The walls of its casual office on Main Street are crowded with surfboards and mementos of surf competitions past. (A customer can exit with either a new board or a new home.) But beneath the laid-back décor is a deeper truth about this midsize city: It’s seen wave after wave of transformation. “This place is a chameleon,” said Mr. Bolen, who also designs and shapes boards. He said he remembered a time when town officials tried hard to discourage surfing, keeping boarders off crowded beaches or requiring that surfboards be made shorter and shorter. Some officials thought surfing “brought the wrong element,” Mr. Bolen said. “Now we’re ‘Surf City USA.’ ”

The element brought today is the kind you might have thought existed only on TV. The young people drifting in and out of the stylish clothing stores and coffee shops around Main Street make for fine gawking, with their plentiful hair product and impossible tans. A perfectly good afternoon can be spent copying their moves: volleyball on the sand (the nets are set up), picture-taking on the pier, a stroll at the restored Bolsa Chica Wetlands a few miles north, casual dinner, a beach fire at one of the countless fire pits and finally shouting to be heard at Sharkeez, one of the rowdier bars in the area, where every other person looks as if he could have starred on “The O.C.”

Those who come to Surf City for the surfing will find it astonishingly easy — at least the setup part. Boards and wet suits can be rented on the beach at reasonable rates, and surf lessons are offered there, too. (If you’re staying at the Shorebreak, “surf butlers” will attend to these needs for you.) When you’re done shredding, pay homage to your forebears at the nearby International Surfing Museum. The action shots are wild, but even better are the memorabilia documenting the very beginnings of the sport, in a dramatically different America. (For more local history, stop in at M. E. Helme Antiques, in a historic building first owned by one of the city founders.)

Old-timers point out the irony of a surf town where the real estate is too expensive for a surfer’s lifestyle and where slick surfing apparel shops have nudged out the original quiet funkiness of the place. But a person can lose his mellow worrying about lost mellowness, and, anyway, Huntington has always been reinventing.

Before anyone was catching tasty waves, they were raising horses and barley, as part of a Spanish land grant. What was Shell Beach in 1890 became Pacific City in 1901, then Huntington Beach just a few years later, a gesture to Henry E. Huntington and his Pacific Electric Railway, which was extended here. The would-be resort town became an oil town in the ’20s, and was not a surfer’s mecca until decades later. Now it’s back to a resort town.

How do you preserve a city’s slow-paced, small-town, wave-loving appeal, while scaling up so that more people can enjoy it? That’s what city planners are asking themselves, and it’s worth a trip to see how they’re answering it. On another level, meanwhile, there is the charm of seeing lives lived differently from how most of us live ours. The veteran beach bum and the studly lifeguard still call the place home, as do the bicyclist carrying a surfboard under one arm, and the middle-aged woman walking her Pomeranian while puffing on a joint at noon. Few of these people wear shoes, and the deeper message of Huntington Beach abides: You don’t have to wear shoes, either.

WHERE NOTHING IS FAR FROM THE BEACH

Huntington Beach, Calif.

WHERE TO EAT

Zimzala (500 Pacific Coast Highway; 714-960-5050; www.restaurantzimzala.com), part of the Shorebreak Hotel, serves coastal Mediterranean cuisine in one of the more stylish settings in the vicinity. A risotto of diver scallops is $26.

Duke’s (317 Pacific Coast Highway; 714-374-6446; www.dukeshuntington.com) has a Hawaiian surf theme and serves seafood (and steaks) on the beach beside the pier. Roasted firecracker ono is $24, subject to availability.

Sugar Shack Cafe (213 ½ Main Street; 714-536-0355) is an old, family-run favorite for breakfast and lunch. Get a table on the patio and watch the Main Street strollers.

Pete’s Mexican Food (213 Fifth Street; 714-960-8797) is a spartan, hole-in-the-wall place offering quick, simple surfer fuel. Most dishes are less than $10.

WHERE TO DRINK

Sharkeez (211 Main Street; 714-960-5282; www.sharkeez.net) is worth a visit if you’re the sort who wonders what spring break in Daytona Beach is like. Loud and cheesy but eye-opening and open late.

Huntington Beach Beer Company (201 Main Street, Suite E; 714-960-5343; www.hbbeerco.com) is a second-story brew pub with a more civilized glass of beer.

WHERE TO STAY

Shorebreak Hotel (500 Pacific Coast Highway; 714-861-4470; www.shorebreakhotel.com) offers a boutique atmosphere within a minute’s stroll from the pier. Rates start at $199, but check for specials.

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa (21500 Pacific Coast Highway; 714-698-1234; www.huntingtonbeach.hyatt.com) is as fancy as Huntington gets, with pools and fountains and a walkway to the beach. Rates start at $255, but check for specials.

The 17-room Sun ’n Sands (1102 Pacific Coast Highway; 714-536-2543; www.sunnsands.com) is perfect for those seeking easy ocean access and the kind of old-school beach motel charm where Dinty Moore stew is sold in the office. Rates start at $99.

SURF AND STYLE

Zack’s (405 Pacific Coast Highway; 714-536-0215; www.beachfoodfun.com) is right on the sand, near the pier, and rents whatever beach equipment you’ll need, by the hour or the day: surfboards, $12 an hour or $35 a day; wet suits, $5 or $15 a day; bikes, $10 or $30.

Huntington Surf & Sport (300 Pacific Coast Highway; 714-841-4000; www.hsssurf.com) sells all manner of surfing and skating apparel, in addition to actual boards. Look the part without actually playing it!


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

USA's Asians Go West

Ace! NewsFlash

In a twist, USA's Asians head to the Mountain West.

LAS VEGAS — Dozens of workers line up for a buffet catered by Satay Malaysian Grille, a popular Chinatown eatery here. They carry plates piled high with Asian delicacies to nine rows of long tables facing a dais. By the time the employees savor mango-sticky-rice treats, their luncheon speakers are introduced: a local TV reporter, a former school administrator, a bank founder, a magazine publisher, a chamber of commerce executive, a local politician.

Only one is Anglo. The rest: Chinese, Japanese, Thai — all Asian Americans.

This event isn't in Las Vegas' Chinatown district but in a meeting room at one of the pillars of the local business establishment: Nevada Power. The lunch, held so the utility's workers could hear voices from the Asian-American community, is a reflection of the explosive growth and rising clout of Asian Americans in Nevada and other inland Western states. They've become a powerful voting bloc that's being wooed by presidential candidates — and an economic force that businesses are catering to.

This decade, the Asian population has grown at a faster rate than that of the Hispanic population in 14 states — including Nevada, Arizona and Texas — as well as Washington, D.C.

In a surprising twist to historical settlement patterns, growing numbers of Asian Americans are beginning to bail from the places that have long been their main gateways to the West: California and Washington. Wearied by the same crushing home prices, poor schools, jammed freeways and persistent crime that have sent millions of other Californians packing, Asian Americans are moving to spots in the West they hope will produce better lifestyles — namely Las Vegas and Phoenix.

The Asian migration is fueling ethnic diversity in places that have been overwhelmingly white. Since 1990, Nevada has had the most rapid growth of any state in the number of Asians and Pacific Islanders. The number jumped 174% in the 1990s and 67% so far this decade to about 211,000, according to 2007 Census Bureau estimates. Asians now make up about 8.2% of Nevada's 2.6 million people — a higher percentage than the national share of 5.4%. Most live here in Clark County, where Asians are the fastest-growing minority.

Arizona also is registering significant growth among Asians, a trend fueled largely by an exodus from California and Washington. They're leaving for lower cost of living, warm climates and better job markets, a reflection of the migration patterns that have made Nevada and Arizona the nation's fastest-growing states throughout much of the past two decades.

Asians are doing what middle-class whites have been doing for decades: moving to more affordable parts of the West, says William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution. "California is losing Asians, and the main destinations are other states in the Mountain West," he says. His analysis of Census data shows that since 2001, 86,000 more Asians left California for the inland mountain states than vice versa. "It started with whites, followed by Hispanics, and Asians are now continuing that trend," Frey says. "It means a place like Las Vegas is becoming a microcosm of growing America."

Pauline Ng Lee, a Chinese-American bankruptcy lawyer, moved 10 years ago from Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills section to Summerlin, an upscale community on Las Vegas' west side. "We moved into a neighborhood where more than 60% of the residents were from California, either southern or northern," she says. "We came out for two reasons: My husband had a great opportunity … as a physician, and the cost of living was so much lower."

In the first quarter of this year, for example, the median sales price of existing single-family homes in the Las Vegas area was $247,600, compared with $459,400 in the Los Angeles area, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Ten years ago, Las Vegas' Chinatown was less than three blocks long. Today, it stretches almost 4 miles along Spring Mountain Boulevard. It's beginning to spread out on either side. Business after business, restaurant after restaurant crowd strip malls and office buildings. Signs in Korean and Chinese adorn the facades. Newspaper racks offer publications in more than a half-dozen Asian languages. "The traditional Chinatown area is really becoming an integral part of our broader community," says Maureen Peckman, executive director of The Council for a Better Nevada, a group of business and civic leaders concerned with quality-of-life issues. "That's the hallmark of a maturing community


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Thursday, July 23, 2009

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Bangkok & Phuket

Ace! NewsFlash

SECRETARY CLINTON IN THAILAND July 21-23, 2009

"I bring greetings from President Obama and a message as well from the American people: We are committed to a broader, stronger, and deeper relationship with Thailand. We are, as the minister said, historic treaty allies. We are fellow democracies, we are strategic partners, and above all, we are friends."
-- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's Remarks with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu
(July 21, 2009)

Secretary Clinton shakes hands with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva prior to the bilateral meeting at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday, July 21, 2009.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is focusing on improving relations between the United States and Southeast Asia during her visit to Thailand as she leads the U.S. delegation to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

The 16th annual ASEAN Regional Forum, being held in Phuket, Thailand, includes the foreign ministers of 10 ASEAN member countries, as well as representatives of 17 dialogue partners from other Asian countries, the United States, the European Union and Russia. Clinton traveled to Bangkok for bilateral meetings with her Thai counterparts prior to attending the ASEAN gathering, where she met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya to underscore the importance of Thailand-U.S. alliance and bilateral relationship and to share perspectives on common interests in the region. She visited Bangkok from July 21-22 and Phuket from July 22-23.


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

INT'L LEGAL STUDIES-FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS @ American University


Ace! NewsFlash

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL STUDIES PROGRAM ANNOUNCES FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS
American University Washington College of Law

3-5 full tuition scholarships, one full scholarship still available
for spring, 2010.

ILSP Alumni Fund Scholarships

The ILSP is proud to announce the Alumni Fund Scholarship program. The
ILSP Alumni Fund offers 3-5 full tuition scholarships to newly
admitted LLM students who display rigorous academic dedication to the
advancement of issues in international law.

Scholarship applications must be submitted with a completed LLM
application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

To Apply: Please answer both of the following questions:

1. Briefly describe a current regional, international or
country-specific legal problem and offer your solution to the problem
(no more than 750 words).
2. How will you contribute to WCL as an ILSP Alumni Fund Scholar? (no
more than 250 words)

* Submit a resume and your essay responses to the Assistant Director
of Admissions at
llminfo@wcl.american.edu. All submissions must be
electronic via email. Hard copy submissions will not be considered.
Please be sure to put your full name on each document that you send.
* Students must be admitted to the ILSP program to be considered for
the scholarships
* Awards are announced 1-2 months after the deadline. Incomplete
applications will not be considered.

Deadlines:
May 1 for students entering in the fall
October 1 for spring 2010

The Alumni Fund Scholarships are only offered to students who begin in
the fall (excluding spring 2010). ILSP Alumni Fund Scholars Receive:
- Full tuition
- Meet faculty hosts
- Meet top legal scholars from around the world


Attention: Students MUST have submitted a complete application before
they can be considered for the scholarship. Please take into
consideration that this could effect your deadline for scholarship
submission.

*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Summer Giveaways for Online Practice Tests & Bonus Prizes from Team Ace!

Ace! NewsFlash






















Lucky Hands drawing the winners for Team
Ace! to announce our Summer Giveaway Campaign to launch Online Practice Tests

... and The Winners are:

SAT
Naphatsorn Laohajaroenyot, CMIS
Patthararit Maboonsaksit, PRC
Phurich Pusapanich, PTIS
Thitiphan Sonsubanan


GMAT
Aphiradee Yuangsri
Somruetai Thantakitti


GRE
Benya Lertsuwan
Dr. Orawee Chinthakanan


TOEFL
Saranya Panpawanrat
Narusan Dhanvarjor


TOEIC
Watcharakorn Torkittikul
Angkana Thongkam
Athitaya Kadtasema



CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL AWARD WINNERS from Team Ace!

In appreciation of the strong response to our Summer Giveaway Campaign, we're also pleased to announce additional BONUS PRIZES OF TEST PREP SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ALL CONTESTANTS (excluding the main award winners listed above). Team Ace! and our Test Prep Experts will help you improve your test scores, and our EducationUSA counselors will guide you toward the best university programs in the U.S.A.


We'll be in touch to notify you of Scholarship awards and invite you to visit our Ace! @ Nimman center for personal consultations.

*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Friday, July 17, 2009

Middlebury College, VT area attractions

Ace! NewsFlash: U.S. Life & Culture


Families enjoy a lakeside beach near the Green Mountains.

What to do: Depending on the season, there are numerous biking, skiing and hiking options in and around the Green Mountains. In summer, visit the Robert Frost-themed walking trail just off Route 125, about halfway between Ripton and the Bread Loaf Campus of Middlebury College. The gentle hike has markers printed with Frost’s poems. (See frostfriends.org for more information.) Middlebury has an array of good bookstores, including Monroe Street Books, a world-class used-book store, with more than 80,000 titles in-store, and another 50,000 off-site. The store has an extensive array of photography books and various first editions, and most of its books are searchable on the store’s Web site (1485 US-7; Tel: 802-398-2200; monroestreetbooks.com). In nearby Shelburne, the Shelburne Farms, a national historic landmark near Lake Champlain, has a sizable children’s farm, walking trails, an inn, restaurant and food store selling locally produced maple syrup (1611 Harbor Road; Tel: 802-985-8686; shelburnefarms.org).


The Pulpmill covered bridge near Middlebury.

Where to stay: The Swift House Inn has rooms with fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, private terraces and canopy beds. Rates range from $110 to $255 per night (25 Stewart Lane; Tel: 802-388-9925; swifthouseinn.com). A few miles away in East Middlebury, the Waybury Inn—best known as the setting for Bob Newhart’s 1980s sitcom, “Newhart”—has rooms beginning at $115 per night (457 East Main Street; Tel: 800-348-1810 or 802-388-4015).

Where to eat: In Middlebury, American Flatbreads at the Marble Works—in a 19th-century marble factory— has outstanding pizzas cooked in a wood-fired clay oven, which is featured prominently in the main dining room. The Bolognese pizza is superb (137 Maple Street; Tel: 802-388-3300; americanflatbread.com). The Shoreham Inn has an excellent restaurant. The menu changes frequently, but has included top-notch burgers, whole baked fish and an array of interesting desserts such as Banoffi pie, a banana, cream and toffee concoction (51 Inn Road, Shoreham; Tel: 802-897-5081; shorehaminn.com). Three Squares Cafe, in Vergennes, has numerous creative and affordable sandwiches and salads, plus a view of the pretty town square (221 Main St; Tel: 802-877-2772; threesquarescafe.com).


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Winona State University Scholarships for Int'l Students

Ace! NewsFlash


Winona State University offers two scholarships to international students.

The scholarships are described as follows:

1. The cross cultural scholarship is awarded to all international students who are accepted for admission to WSU. It allows students to pay at the resident rate of tuition instead of the non-resident rate. They expect that resident tuition and fees for fall semester of 2009 will be approximately $3,958.00. This scholarship is renewable until graduation if the student maintains a certain grade point and meets other criteria.

2. The Presidential Honor Scholarship (PHS) is fairly new and is available to entering freshman with no transfer credits. This scholarship is based on achieving a high TOEFL score. Complete information is available at www.winona.edu/international/9224.asp The PHS scholarship combined with the cross cultural scholarship offers a great advantage in terms of reducing the total cost of attending Winona State University.

For more information, visit www.winona.edu/internationaloffice.

Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota 55987
www.winona.edu/internationaloffice

*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Friday, July 10, 2009

Adventure-Cooking in Chiang Mai...or "you want me to cook WHAT?"

Ace! NewsFlash

Chiang Mai -- 'OK guys, this is not the supermarket," says Naomi Duguid to the three women beside her. They're at the entrance to Chiang Mai's morning market, a sprawling grid of lanes lined with vendors selling everything from seasonal vegetables to prepared curries. The scent of fresh herbs mingles with smoke rising from half a dozen charcoal grills.

It's early morning on the first full day of Immersethrough, a weeklong culinary class run by Ms. Duguid, a Canadian cookbook author and photographer, and Jeffrey Alford, her husband and co-author. The women -- all students in the course -- are getting a lesson in grocery shopping, traditional Thai-style.

[SB124710960846016407]
Ingredients and cooking equipment are laid out at the farm kitchen in Fang

Mr. Alford and Ms. Duguid have become known as fearless culinary explorers through their acclaimed travel cookbooks-cum-travelogues -- such as "Hot Sour Salty Sweet," about foods along the Mekong river, and "Mangoes and Curry Leaves," a look at South Asian cuisine -- that combine first-person essays with evocative photographs and foolproof recipes.

At the market's entrance, motorbikes, pedicabs and porters dart around Ms. Duguid, a tall, 58-year-old blonde whose hands gesture extravagantly as she offers the women a few tips: "Keep small change on hand. And you don't have to buy by weight. Just ask for 10 baht of this or 20 baht of that." She then hands each a shopping list of ingredients from the mundane (dried chillies, garlic) to the mysterious (sawtooth herb and jakan, or woody stem, used to flavor stews and soups), plus a wad of Thai currency: "Here's your list. Here's your money. Make it happen." Later, the trio -- Americans Jodi Liano and Jennifer Knapp, and Peruvian Penelope Alzamora -- eye their hardest quarry: chunks of raw beef, innards and fresh cow's blood for gaeng om, a northern Thai beef stew that they'll prepare shortly with the rest of the students, who are shopping at a different market with Mr. Alford.

For the women, all current or former teachers at the famous San Francisco cooking school Tante Marie, it's the first time up close and personal with northern Thai ingredients -- and a local wet market. They place their order and exchange baht for the meat and offal while Ms. Duguid hangs back. As the group, shopping bags bulging, exits the market and heads to the Immersethrough kitchen, Ms. Duguid chuckles. "Basically, I threw them into the deep end to see if they'd swim," she says. "And they did!"

Ms. Duguid and Mr. Alford, a 54-year-old American whose graying hair frames a boyish face, have an approach to travel ("low to the ground" is Ms. Duguid's description) that has led them into villages, home kitchens and cross-cultural friendships that enable them to connect with local peoples and cultures in a way the average tourist can't -- whether for lack of time or pluck, or simply an inability to toss aside itineraries and "just let things happen," says Ms. Duguid. It was in a Lhasa, Tibet, guest house in 1985 that Mr. Alford, a habitual traveler on his umpteenth Asian jaunt -- financed by odd jobs -- met Ms. Duguid, a Toronto corporate lawyer on sabbatical. Within six months they were married and writing together -- at the time, about bicycling around Asia -- to support their travel habit.

Then in 1986, while the couple was crossing the Pamir and Karakoram ranges in central Asia by bike, Mr. Alford, who had been interested in food for as long as he could remember, hit upon a food-book idea. "Flatbreads and Flavors: A Baker's Atlas" wouldn't come out until 1995 -- by which time the couple had become frequent contributors to food magazines such as "Bon Appetit" and "Food & Wine" -- but it would then win both the James Beard Cookbook of the Year and the Julia Child First Book awards. In the years since, while raising a pair of sons (now college-age) at home in Toronto and on the road, journeying separately and together, the two -- neither of whom is a trained chef -- have turned out five more cookbooks.

Today the couple is admired by travel-minded foodies, who gobble up their coffee-table-worthy tomes, and respected by culinary-world peers. Their latest, "Beyond the Great Wall," was named International Cookbook of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals in April and in May it received a coveted James Beard Award, for best International Cookbook. They hope to bring their approach to travel to the culinary class in Chiang Mai, a city the couple had been visiting for 30 years before finally buying an apartment three years ago. The first session was in February; the next one will take place in January. Both have given cooking demonstrations during book tours; neither has ever taught a formal class -- nor wants to.

"That's not what cooking is," says Mr. Alford. "It's about jumping in there and getting your hands dirty, experiencing it, tasting as you go along." The couple wants to offer an intense encounter with authentic Thai cuisine and culture that will enable participants to get to know the country as they have: stumbling upon unfamiliar flavors at street stalls, hunting for ingredients in chaotic wet markets, and learning to prepare dishes at the shoulders of local cooks proud and eager to share a lifetime of knowledge, even with a foreigner who doesn't speak their language.

The eight-day class ("Eight days is enough to take it all in but not so long that it exhausts people," says Ms. Duguid) became a reality last August when the couple met and shared their idea with Tante Marie's founder Mary Risley at an annual travel conference in San Francisco. "Hey, these two are heroes in the food world!" says Ms. Risley, who immediately reserved six places for the Tante Marie teachers. She later persuaded several friends, including 73-year-old retired physician Lesley Piskatel and his wife, 71-year-old musician Joellen, to sign up as well. Ms. Duguid and Mr. Alford charge $3,400, including accommodations (at a comfortable Chiang Mai boutique hotel, with a short sojourn to a rustic resort in northern Thailand), plus all meals and transportation within the country.

Before the course gets going, students and teachers gather at the couple's airy two-bedroom apartment to meet each other. To immerse the students in the Thai culinary culture, Ms. Duguid and Mr. Alford hired locals who are not cooking professionals to do the teaching. Among them is a Chiang Mai neighbor, 48-year-old Fern Somrak, who owns a lychee farm near the Thai-Myanmar border where some of the course is held and who acts as translator and all-around facilitator. Her mother, 67-year-old Juncheng Somrak, a skilled home cook, is an instructor whom students call Khun Mae (Thai for "mother").

"We don't cook much Asian food at home," says Dr. Piskatel with a shrug. He'd never heard of either Mr. Alford or Ms. Duguid before. "But Mary (Ms. Risley) told me, 'You've got to join this tour'...so here we are." Ms. Knapp, a 37-year-old, sunny-faced personal chef and the quietest of the Tante Marie group, muses that "though we've all eaten Thai food, I don't think any of us have experienced true Thai cooking." Northern Thai food, which favors salty, spicy and sometimes bitter flavors and rarely appears on restaurant menus outside the country, is a mystery to all. It uses a lot of pork and freshwater fish and makes use of unusual cultivated and foraged vegetables and herbs, often eaten fresh or blanched to accompany flavorful dips called nam prik. Nodding in Khun Mae's direction, Margaret Hemley, an athletic 39-year-old blonde who teaches French cuisine at Tante Marie, adds, "We'll be learning from a real home cook, not a professional cooking teacher. I mean, how often do you get to do that?"

After an hour or so, Ms. Duguid gives everyone a rundown of the week ahead, then she and Mr. Alford lead them to dinner at a casual, open-air street market of the type common in Asia. That compels the students to break every taboo of gastronomically cautious travelers: eat nothing from the street; nothing less than piping hot; nothing fresh that can't be peeled. "You know, when you're a regular tourist you go to restaurants and ask for foods you're familiar with," says Ms. Alzamora, a tall brunette and former Tante Marie instructor who expresses appreciation for every pleasing dish with a hearty, uninhibited "mmmmm." "But this is really exposing us to just what Thais eat. That first night I thought, 'Wow, this week is really going to be different.'"

Instead of working from written recipes, the students learn by watching and doing, the same method Ms. Duguid and Mr. Alford employ when gathering recipes for their books.

After their morning shopping trip, the students gather in the low-tech Thai-style kitchen Ms. Duguid and Mr. Alford have fashioned in a studio apartment across from their own. The room is dominated by a large, low rectangular wooden platform around which they all work, taking turns reducing slabs of pork to mince with a pair of knives; pounding chilies, lemon grass, garlic and shallots with a mortar and pestle; and slicing jakan, which imparts a pepperiness to stews and soups. Every dish is cooked traditionally, over charcoal, on one of three clay braziers on the balcony. Khun Mae circulates among the 11 participants, communicating with smiles and nods and taking their hands in her own to demonstrate the Thai way of peeling shallots and onions (away from, rather than toward, the body) and the secret to mincing meat efficiently (keep knives low to the cutting board).

Having trained in French cuisine, Ms. Hemley is used to a way of cooking she describes as "very codified," and is surprised to find that techniques in Thailand are so different. "Here cooks use the knife as more of a cleaver," she explains. "And they're not as precise about butchering say, a chicken. It's just 'whack'!" she says, wielding an imaginary blade and bringing it down with a sharp sweep. Not using recipes "frees you," says Ms. Alzamora. "You taste as you go, you pay attention with all your senses. And," she adds, "we're learning the way Thais do, with recipes handed down from cook to cook." Each cooking session ends with a meal shared from heaping bowls and platters placed in the middle of rattan mats on the floor of Ms. Duguid's and Mr. Alford's living room.

On the first day, the menu -- all prepared by the students -- consists of a rich and spicy beef stew, a banana-leaf-wrapped and grilled pork dish, herbed minced-pork salad, tamarind-soured mustard-green soup, herbed minced fish, and a whole chicken rubbed with spice paste, steamed and served with its own rich drippings, all accompanied by sticky rice and a heap of fresh sliced herbs and vegetables. After two days of shopping and cooking, the participants feel more comfortable with their surroundings and the regional cuisine. So to upset the equilibrium once again, after lunch on Tuesday everyone piles into comfortable vans for a three-hour trip north to Fang, a town near the Myanmar border. There for two days they will learn to prepare dishes peculiar to the Shan, a people who live primarily in Myanmar but have been driven in some numbers into exile in northern Thailand by political persecution and economic stagnation.

"We tell them nothing about where they're going. We arrive in the dark and when they wake up in the morning they're somewhere completely different," explains Ms. Duguid. "Once again their senses are heightened, just when they were starting to relax." The first morning in Fang, the students stop at the weekly market that draws hundreds from near and far. Many are ethnic minorities such as Lisu, Shan and Akha; some wear traditional dress, including a few Akha women with striking head coverings dripping silver ornaments. On offer is a new slew of unfamiliar fresh and prepared foods, including slices of soy-flour "pudding" dressed with chili oil, soy sauce and vinegar and topped with crunchy toasted soybeans, chopped scallions and coriander, and delicious deep-fried rice-flour "doughnuts" dripping with molasses. The course's participants plunge into the crowds unguided and without hesitation.

At classes at the lychee farm of Ms. Somrak, the group's translator, the students learn enough Shan-cuisine basics from a young Shan woman -- regular rice instead of sticky rice to accompany meals, salt instead of fish sauce, fresh and powdered turmeric to season many dishes -- to enable them to distinguish it from the northern Thai food they cooked earlier in the week. They cook and eat their way through dishes like galaam oop, cabbage simmered with turmeric and onions, savory pork and beef meatballs, and a lush, comforting stew of chicken and potatoes cooked so long they break apart with the nudge of a spoon. "Totally, absolutely local" is how Ms. Hemley describes the two days in Fang, as the class rides back to Chiang Mai. "Chiang Mai is great, with all its street food and big markets. But this gave us a true sense of how many Thai people really live."

Back in Chiang Mai on Saturday night, the last evening of the course, a palpable energy permeates Mr. Alford's and Ms. Duguid's kitchen, where everyone has gathered to prepare grilled foods and salads (gap glaem, or Thai "drinking foods"). As night falls and the scent of fish sauce-marinated caramelizing pork wafts into the room, the participants recall the previous evening's meal, a potluck dinner. Everyone was asked to bring prepared food bought on the street or at the market, or ingredients with which to create a dish of their own. The couple called the dinner "foraging Friday." "I have to admit, I had my doubts about this scavenging thing," says Ms. Risley, shaking her head. "But we ate darned well!"

Ms. Duguid raves about a dish conjured up by two of the students from items they found at the wet market: two types of ginger, garlic, pea shoots and large nut-brown mushrooms called het lom. Others swoon at the mention of a dessert created by two other students, a steamed coffee and coconut-milk custard topped with chopped roasted peanuts, brown cane sugar and a pinch of salt. Asked if she'll re-create any of the week's recipes at home in her California kitchen, Mrs. Piskatel nods. "Yes, a few. Finding the ingredients will be a challenge," she says with a smile, thinking perhaps of tua nao, the thin disks of pressed, preserved soy beans that are toasted and pounded to a powder before lending umami -- a meaty, savory, satisfying taste -- to soups and salads, and bplaa raa, an odoriferous fermented fish condiment that is a key ingredient in many northern Thai spice pastes. "But won't it be fun looking for them!"

Whether the participants actually cook the dishes once they return home "doesn't matter," says Ms. Duguid. "They'll be tasting and seeing things differently. That's what important." She and Mr. Alford acknowledge that their casual approach to instruction and deep-end-diving take on eating and exploring Thai culture may not appeal to everyone. All they ask of participants, she says, is that they be curious.


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Top all-American dishes in "500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late"

U.S. Cultural Insights from the Wall Street Journal

At a time when big restaurant chains seem more ubiquitous than ever, "Roadfood" authors Jane and Michael Stern continue to focus on the quirky all-American food haunts. In their latest guide, "500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late," their advice ranges from the best hot fried chicken (Keaton's Barbecue in Cleveland, N.C.) to whoopee pies (Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster in Freeport, Maine).

America's Top 15 Food Stops

Mr. Stern picks his favorite dishes across America.

The Sterns began charting America's regional eateries in 1978 with the publication of their first book, "Roadfood." They now write a column for Gourmet magazine, manage the Web site Roadfood.com and have authored more than 40 books. The couple divorced in 2008, but that has not prevented them from working together.

The title "500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late" is something of a space grab, since it resembles in spirit Patricia Schultz's successful travel book "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," published by Workman in 2003. "Of course we were thinking about that," says Mr. Stern. "But people are always want to know where is the best, and we wanted to answer that question." Mr. Stern, 62 years old, was interviewed by telephone.

The Wall Street Journal: The words "too late" in the title are ominous. Are you referring to the death of the small eatery, or the reader's impending doom from eating too much fried chicken, French fries and fried fish?

Michael Stern: I'm referring to the impending onslaught of the nutrition police who will make all of this stuff illegal one of these days.

WSJ: Can you talk about the methodology for this book?

Mr. Stern: We traveled and ate as much as we could. Then we decided what were the "must eats" if readers were going to New Mexico or southern California. What is the most important thing to eat in that location? There are a lot of things we would have liked to include, things we forgot or that are deserving. We had to make choices.

[500 foods]

WSJ: Do you feel you personally have to sample everything in the book, or do you use trusted researchers?

Mr. Stern: We learned long ago not to use trusted researchers. We've eaten everything in this book. There are a lot of people whose opinions we value, people whose tips we know will be great. But we have to taste it to put our names on it.

WSJ: There are so many Web sites these days that have moved in on your turf. How do you distinguish what you do from the competition?

Mr. Stern: I think what distinguishes Roadfood.com is that it has an anthropological point of view. By that, I mean our interests -- and the interests of many who participate in our Web site -- is not to find the most delicious meal in a vacuum, but to find food that is part of a whole culture. In that sense, we love a fabulous Jell-O bar in a Midwest cafeteria even if I wouldn't suggest Jell-O is a food everyone has to eat. We don't need to find a pure food that goes from farm to table. That doesn't describe a lot of what Americans really eat.

WSJ: It doesn't seem like America has lost any variety, despite the presence of national food chains. True or not?

Mr. Stern: There are two forces working against each other. We have lost some variety and some local specialties that once were easy to find and are now hard or impossible to find due to chain restaurants. On the other hand, Americans have become more conscious about regional food. When Jane and I started, people thought the only regional food was fried chicken and hot dogs. Now we're aware of a lot of regional traditions, and this helps sustain them. There has been a rebirth of interest in regional food that parallels its diminution because of franchises.

WSJ: Is there a specific food you wished you had included?

Mr. Stern: Yes, the Korean taco. It's a big deal in L.A. now. As the name suggests, it's a dish that is a great example of America as a culinary melting pot and as a country happy to hyphenate its food. The kimchi [a pickled Korean dish] is what makes it different.

WSJ: How do these recommendations differ from recommendations from your earlier books, including last year's "Roadfood: The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 700 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More"?

Mr. Stern: There's obviously an overlap. But what sets this book apart is its focus on the dish. In "Roadfood: The Coast-to-Coast Guide," we focused on a lot of great restaurants.

sterns
Jane and Michael Stern

WSJ
: Why the emphasis on huge portions? You laud Iowa pork chops "thick as a cylinder of filet mignon, but broader by a factor of four," and you note that the huevos rancheros at Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis is "a dish so formidable that you might want to consider a trowel rather than a fork as the suitable eating tool."

Mr. Stern: I will shift responsibility to say that it's not we as writers emphasizing huge portions but the places that serve them. One characteristic of the kind of American food we love is exuberance. And in many cases that's expressed in huge portions.

WSJ: Any concerns about your recommendations from a health point of view? You've got hot dogs "piled high with mayo" at Flo's in Cape Neddick, Maine; French fries covered in gravy at Murphy's Steak House in Bartlesville, Okla.; and chicken-fried steak at Hoover's Cooking in Austin.

Mr. Stern: This isn't a book for sick people. This is a book for people fundamentally healthy. I don't recommend eating hot dogs at Flo's seven days a week, but a vast majority of the food that is unique and beloved by Americans is nutritionally incorrect.

WSJ: If you had only $20 in your wallet, and you were absolutely starved, where would you go and why?

Mr. Stern: I'd go to Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis. They serve three meals a day, and they are all spectacular.


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Eat Less, Live Longer!

Ace! NewsFlash

Sharply cutting calories in the diets of rhesus monkeys was found to reduce aging-related deaths, according to a study that followed 76 monkeys for two decades.

The findings, published Thursday in Science magazine by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, give new impetus to researchers and companies, including GlaxoSmithKline PLC, that are searching for a drug to mimic the beneficial effects of a meager diet in humans without the feeling of near-starvation.

For thousands of people who already attempt to sharply restrict their food intake -- by as much as 30% below a normal diet of roughly 2,200 calories a day -- in an effort to live longer, the findings appear to validate a technique called calorie restriction as a way to live longer.

Scientists have known since the 1930s that the technique lengthens the lives of mice. But until now, no study had shown the technique worked in monkeys, which are more genetically similar to humans. One difficulty: Monkeys live almost 30 years on average, meaning any study to measure a difference in death rates would need to wait a long time.

The Wisconsin study, which began in 1989 with 30 rhesus monkeys and added 46 more in 1994, is the first to yield a definitive finding. Researchers began restricting half the monkeys' diets, reducing their calories by 30%, when the monkeys were fully grown, or about 10 years old.

Thursday's findings are "all consistent with what human practitioners of calorie restriction have always believed," said Brian Delaney, president of the Calorie Restriction Society, which claims about 3,000 members. "Any degree of restriction beyond what you're currently eating will confer health benefits and will slow the aging process," he said.

After almost 20 years, 14 of 38 monkeys in the control group had died of what were considered age-related causes, such as heart disease and cancer. That compares with only five of 38 monkeys in the restricted-diet group, a significant decrease. However, the difference wasn't statistically significant when considering all causes of death, including monkeys who died from injuries and complications from anesthesia.

Calorie restriction also appeared to slow the loss of gray matter in the brain.

"It's a pretty simply story, really," said Richard Weindruch, a Wisconsin professor who led the study. "We've been waiting all these years for the monkeys to become old enough to get meaningful data on lifespan and brain aging and diseases."

Dr. Weindruch described himself as an imperfect adherent to calorie restriction. "I found it difficult to adhere to such a diet, despite studying it for so many years," he said, adding he had been able to cut his calories by about 20% for only a few months. "I'm not the poster child for human application," he said.

He is the co-founder of a Wisconsin company, LifeGen Technologies LLC, that works with drug makers to quantify the effect of possible life-extending drugs.

*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Thursday, July 9, 2009

U.S. Leads in World's Billionaires

Ace! NewsFlash

The World's Billionaires

The richest people in the world have gotten poorer, just like the rest of us. This year the world's billionaires have an average net worth of $3 billion, down 23% in 12 months. The world now has 793 billionaires, down from 1,125 a year ago.

After slipping in recent years, the U.S. is regaining its dominance as a repository of wealth. Americans account for 44% of the money and 45% of the list's slots, up seven and three percentage points from last year, respectively. Bill Gates lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world's richest man. Warren Buffett, last year's No. 1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell nearly 50% in 12 months. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú maintains his spot in the top three but lost $25 billion.

More ...

Billionaire Bust
Last year the world had 1,125 billionaires. Today there are 793. How $1.4 trillion vanished.

In Pictures: The World's Billionaires
























*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

PRESS FELLOWSHIPS AT WHARTON TO BUSINESS JOURNALISTS

Ace! NewsFlash

The National Press Foundation is offering two all-expense-paid
fellowships to working print and broadcast journalists for the annual
"Wharton Seminar for Business Journalists," that takes place this
October at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia, PA.

Fellowships include full tuition, housing, most meals and round trip
transportation.

Wharton seminars offer participants an opportunity to expand their
business knowledge by attending courses led by Wharton faculty, guest
lectures by business leaders, and compete in a computer-simulated
strategic management exercise.

Applicants must submit:
* a letter stating why they wish to participate
* a letter of support from a supervisor
* work sample, a clip or a video/audio tape (copies are acceptable)
* a brief bio
* application form

To download application materials, go to:
www.nationalpress.org/programs3516/programs_list.htm?cat=Wharton%20Seminar%20for%20Business%20Journalists

The deadline for applications is 5 pm September 4, 2009. Send
applications to npf@nationalpress.org

For more information about the program, visit: www.wharton.upenn.edu/journalists


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY: Scholarships for International Students

Ace! NewsFlash

You can obtain a Bachelor of Science in Applied Meteorology!

Come to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in sunny Arizona and
learn about the exciting physics and dynamics of the atmosphere in
preparation for a rewarding career as a meteorologist.

Students use a state-of-the-art Weather Center to understand and
forecast complex atmospheric phenomena ranging from severe
thunderstorms and tornadoes to cyclones, fronts and jet streams, to
global climate and how it is changing. Emphasis is placed on applying
theory to operational weather forecasting and decision making.
Students can choose from four areas of concentration: Research,
Meteorology with Flying, Meteorology for Aviation Operations, and
Military Meteorologist.

To watch a video, visit:
www.erau.edu/pr/degrees/b-appliedmeteorology.html

This program prepares meteorologists for careers with the government,
military, television or the private sector, or for graduate studies
toward a career in atmospheric research. The program meets all the
requirements for undergraduate study in meteorology recommended by the
American Meteorological Society and the Federal Government.
Scholarships are available.

Financial Aid: The average scholarship amount granted to international
students is $11,000.

Source: The College Board's International Student Handbook 2009.

To apply, visit:
www.erau.edu/pr/admissions

*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Ace! NewsFlash

As a global university, American University (AU) has a long tradition
of welcoming students from across the United States and the world to
our campus. At AU, "access" and "engagement" are not merely
catchphrases; the spirit of these words permeates the campus
environment. Students who share a desire to understand and shape
tomorrow's world are attracted to AU because of its culture of
engagement and service.

Discover American University:

- AU offers a broad choice of majors and minors and preprofessional
advising programs in law and medicine. You may also double major. You
have the option to construct your own interdisciplinary major. You can
have your major in one AU school and a minor in another AU school or
college. We understand that tomorrow's careers require an
understanding of a wide variety of fields, and we encourage students
to transcend the traditional boundaries of academic disciplines.
- A short distance from Washington, D.C.'s centers of government,
business, research, commerce and art, AU's 84-acre (34-hectare)
traditional campus is located in one of the most attractive and safest
residential areas of the city. Originally planned by Frederick Law
Olmsted, the noted architect of New York City's Central Park, AU's
campus was designated an arboretum and garden in 2003.

Of its 100 international students (non US citizens), 41 are receiving
AU Merit Awards ranging from $5,000 to $32,000 per year. Two will
receive AU endowment scholarships (Turkey and Cyprus). A total of ten
international freshmen have been admitted to our most prestigious
Honors Program. We are honored to welcome one CASP undergraduate
awardee from Fulbright Cyprus, one Trinidadian government supported
open scholarship grantee, one IIE StudyAmerica student from India, and
many more talented students from around the world.

www.american.edu/admissions/international

International Admissions
American University
Washington, DC, USA
Tel: +1-202-885-6000

*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Teens Bond by Jailbreaking the iPhone

Ace! NewsFlash

Teens Bond by Jailbreaking the Mobile; 'A Trust Issue' for MuscleNerd

Like many teenagers, Ari Weinstein spends his summers riding his bike and swimming. This year, the 15-year-old had another item on his to-do list: Foil Apple Inc.'s brightest engineers and annoy chief executive Steve Jobs. Ari is part of a loose-knit group of hackers that has made it a mission to "jailbreak" Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. The term refers to installing unapproved software that lets people download a range of programs, including those not sanctioned by Apple.

Friends Bond by Hacking Into iPhones
Ari Weinstein, 15, in the computer lab of Germantown Friends School, where he just finished 9th grade.

Since Apple began selling its latest iPhone 3GS on June 19, Ari and six online cohorts spent hours a day probing the new product for security holes. This weekend, one of the members of the group, dubbed the Chronic Dev Team, released the jailbreaking software they've been working on. Ari says the program is a test version with some bugs, but that users have successfully downloaded it. A quarter-million people have visited the site, he says. "Coding and testing things that may or may not work, and figuring things out, is a really rewarding experience," says Ari, a Philadelphia resident who began hacking when he was 11.

Ari's hobby has ruffled the feathers of famously secretive Apple, which exerts tight control over its gadgets and sells programs for its iPhones exclusively through its App Store site. "The vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones, and for good reason," an Apple spokeswoman says. "These modifications not only violate the warranty, they also cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably." Mr. Jobs, in the past, has called dueling with hackers a "cat-and-mouse game" and has said it is Apple's "job to stop them from breaking in."

[iphone]

So far, Apple hasn't stopped them. A year ago, when the Cupertino, Calif., company launched its iPhone 3G, a team of hackers released jailbreaking software for the device less than a week later. The software, which can be downloaded from a Web site, gives users access to a store that sells programs that Apple doesn't. These include applications that block ads on the iPhone's mobile Internet browser, for example, or let the phone double as a laptop-computer modem (a common feature in Windows Mobile, so one wonders about Apple's motives for excluding it from iPhones).

In February, Apple filed a 27-page statement to the U.S. Copyright office arguing that modifying phones violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Digital-rights advocates say they believe it isn't illegal because people own their phones outright. The copyright office is expected to rule in the fall. Ari says he takes ethics seriously and says he has researched the Millennium Copyright law online. But he has concluded his actions aren't wrong. He also has a lawyer, who he says volunteered his services after Ari created iJailbreak, a piece of free software that worked on the original iPhone, two years ago.

"Apple doesn't have the right to tell me what I can put on my phone," says Ari, who uses non-Apple-sanctioned programs that let him change the look of his home screen and administer Web sites from his phone. "I only do hacking that helps people." Ari became interested in technology as a preschooler, when he would flip through the manual for a cable set-top box and change the settings on the family computer. "I remember it being a big relief when he went to kindergarten," says his mother, Judy Weinstein, 43, a social worker.

At age 7, Ari teamed up with two other boys to create playing cards, decorated with hand-drawn characters, to sell online. The business never took off. But Ari says he learned to build Web sites, among other things: The site he created wasn't on the child-approved list of his AOL Internet service, he says, so to access it, he had to figure out how to get around AOL's parental controls. "That's when we knew we should start teaching him ethics," says his dad, Ken Weinstein, 45, a real-estate developer.

Ari started hacking in sixth grade after looking for a way to download free games on his iPod mini. Two years ago, he received an iPod touch for his bar mitzvah and says he jailbroke the device in an evening. He later simplified the process into the iJailbreak software. He says the program has been downloaded a million times. Some users donated cash, a standard way of showing appreciation for free software, and Ari says he received "several thousand dollars" in all.

Ari attracted the attention of Will Strafach, a Connecticut teen who created an online chat room for people interested in reverse engineering the iPhone. That eventually morphed into a team named after Mr. Strafach's Internet name, Chronic. "When I get out" of school, Mr. Strafach says, "I want to work for Apple." Ari, who goes by AriX online, soon began to work with the Chronic Dev Team's half-dozen teenagers and twentysomethings. The group communicates almost exclusively via a private online chat room, where they can talk and send files. Team members say they don't know all the others' real-life identities. One of them, Mr. Strafach says, lives in Austria.

Earlier this year, Ari and his team tried to hack more efficiently by working with another group -- iPhone Dev Team, an invitation-only bunch in their 20s and 30s who have typically been the first to roll out iPhone hacks. Members of the iPhone Dev Team worried about working in a large group. In part, they were concerned that if information leaked out about the security holes they were probing, others could exploit them first. Or, Apple could plug the holes. In March, the two groups stopped communicating. "It just came down to a trust issue," says Eric McDonald, an iPhone Dev Team member known as MuscleNerd.

In June, Apple announced its 32-gigabyte iPhone, with added layers of security and encryption. Ari bought one immediately, in part with the $20 an hour he earned helping family friends with computer problems. "I'm happy to contribute," says Michael Cohen, a real-estate investor who recently hired Ari to help set up his wife's new computer. "He obviously has a future in this stuff."

Mr. Strafach's group also sought help from George Hotz, a 19-year-old Cambridge, Mass., hacker who had worked before with Chronic Dev. Known as geohot, Mr. Hotz is widely acknowledged as the first person to "unlock" the iPhone nearly two years ago, so people could use the phone with any wireless carrier. Mr. Hotz, who took a paid internship with Google Inc. in April, joined the hackers in early June. In emails, he says he has done the project on his own time and was happy to help "a bunch of cool guys with a good attitude." Google declined to comment on Mr. Hotz's work with Chronic Dev.

More than a week ago, both Chronic Dev and iPhone Dev said they figured out how to jailbreak Apple's new phone. The iPhone Dev Team wanted to wait to release its software so Apple can't plug the security hole in the device immediately. But Chronic Dev and Mr. Hotz released theirs as soon as it was ready. "A lot of people bought their phones expecting to jailbreak their phones, and now that we have the capability to do it, we should let them," Ari says. "A lot of people have thanked us."


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Sticker shock over college textbooks? Try renting instead!

Ace! NewsFlash for Pre-Departure Orientation

We Rent Movies, So Why Not Textbooks?

SUCCESS in Silicon Valley often emerges through trial and error. Willingness to buck popular trends can help, too. Just ask Osman Rashid and Aayush Phumbhra, the co-founders of Chegg.com, a company that rents textbooks to college students.

When the two entrepreneurs started Chegg, then called CheggPost, in 2003, they envisioned a sort of Craigslist for college campuses, a network of university-based Web sites where students would buy and sell everything from used mattresses to textbooks. Like most Internet start-ups of that time, the plan was to make money from advertising.

It didn’t turn out that way. CheggPost gained some traction on a handful of campuses but didn’t take off. Still, the experience offered a few valuable lessons. Mr. Rashid noticed that a majority of the traffic on the site was from students looking for used textbooks. With textbooks being the largest expense for students, after tuition and room and board, and with their cost soaring, that wasn’t surprising.

Yet the Craigslist model didn’t work. When classes ended in the spring, sellers couldn’t find many buyers online and sold their used books to the college store, often for pennies on the dollar. By the time students migrated back to campus in the fall, willing online sellers were few and far between. So, in 2007, Mr. Rashid and Mr. Phumbhra went back to the drawing board and came up with the idea of renting books. At the time, Silicon Valley venture capitalists were focused on content, social networks and other businesses that could be supported by advertising, so finding investors wasn’t easy. “People thought we were crazy,” Mr. Rashid said.

Now, as Chegg prepares for its third academic year in the textbook rental business, the business is growing rapidly. Jim Safka, a former chief executive of Match.com and Ask.com who was recently recruited to run Chegg, said the company’s revenue in 2008 was more than $10 million. This year, Chegg surpassed that in January alone, Mr. Safka said.

Based on that kind of growth, the company was able to raise $25 million in December from some of Silicon Valley’s top venture capitalists, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. “The textbook business was wildly inefficient,” said Mike Maples Jr., managing partner at Maples Investments, a fund that invests in young start-ups; it was one of Chegg’s first outside investors.

With demand for good deals on textbooks running high, Chegg’s success comes in large part from being able to address those inefficiencies. While Chegg primarily rents books, it is also essentially acting as a kind of “market maker,” gathering books from sellers at the end of a semester and renting — or sometimes selling — them to other students at the start of a new one. That provides liquidity to the market, said Yannis Bakos, associate professor of management at the Stern School of Business at New York University. “The model is clever,” Professor Bakos said. “If they execute well, it will be an accomplishment.”

E-commerce was all the rage with investors during the Internet boom of the late 1990s. Of course, many start-ups failed. In recent years, most of the successful ideas in e-commerce have been refinements or variations of models that had been tried before. In the case of Chegg and some budding competitors, the inspiration was Netflix. “We benefit from the comfort zone that people have with renting things online from Netflix,” said Colin Barceloux, the co-founder of BookRenter.com, a Chegg rival that is also based in Silicon Valley.

Alan Bradford, a senior at Arizona State University, read about Chegg in a campus newspaper in 2008 and calculated that his bill for books that semester would have been $334 with Chegg, far less than the $657 he paid. Since then, he has ordered about a dozen textbooks from Chegg. “Nobody likes paying for textbooks,” he said.

CHEGG is shorthand for “chicken and egg,” a reference to what Mr. Rashid called students’ quandary after graduation: they need experience to get a job, but can’t get experience without having a job. Before the company grew relatively flush from investors’ cash and hundreds of thousands of customers on more than 5,000 campuses, it had to resort to creative bootstrapping.

Chegg began renting books before it owned any, so when an order came in, its employees would surf the Web to find a cheap copy. They would buy the book using Mr. Rashid’s American Express card and have it shipped to the student. Eventually, Chegg automated the system. But as the orders multiplied, Mr. Rashid said, so did the traffic on his credit card, leading American Express to suspect fraud and threaten to suspend the account. He said he persuaded American Express not only to keep the card active, but also to issue a couple of dozen more so Chegg could spread out the orders.

There is plenty of secret sauce to Chegg’s business, including logistics and software to determine the pricing and sourcing of books, as well as how many times a given book can be rented. The savings can vary from book to book. A macroeconomics textbook that retails for $122 was available on Chegg for $65 for one semester; an organic chemistry title retailing for $123 was offered for $33. (Round-trip shipping can add $4 to a book.)

Those kinds of savings are turning students into fans, Mr. Safka said. “Word of mouth,” he said, “has put wind in the company’s sails.”


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***

Think it's safe to go back into a bank? Beware new fees!

Ace! NewsFlash for Pre-Departure Orientation

10 Ways Banks Take Your Money

Consumers need to keep their guard up as financial institutions increasingly impose new fees and charges.

Banks and credit-card companies have gone on the offensive in advance of new consumer protections the Obama administration is asking Congress to enact. For many consumers, that could mean an unexpected financial sting. "The fee income is becoming increasingly more important as interest income is falling as a percentage of total revenues," says Bob Hammer, chief executive of bank-card advisory firm R.K. Hammer.

[marketwatch]

Late fees, loan-origination fees, over-the-limit and overdraft charges helped generate 53% of banking-industry income in 2008, according to R.K. Hammer, up from 35% of income in 1995. The average bounced-check fee is $28.95, up about $1 from last year, says Greg McBride, senior analyst at Bankrate.com. And it's a charge that rises every year. At $19 billion, credit-card penalties for late payments and over-limit charges were up 80% between 2003 and 2008.

Fees aren't necessarily bad, consumer advocates say, as long as they are reasonable. There's a lot more involved in a loan origination, for example, than there is in using an ATM. But Adam Levine, chairman of Credit.com, says banks are drawing wide margins around what's considered "reasonable."

One thing to keep in mind: It's worth the time to ask for a pass on fees. No bank is going to advertise that it waives fees on a regular basis, but many will do so when asked.

Here are 10 fees you should keep a close eye on:

1. Checking account

This is the privilege-of-using-your-own-money charge that many banks did away with years ago. But such fees are starting to creep back into the system, experts warn. Consumers shouldn't assume their checking accounts are fee-free or, if they are, that they will always continue to be so. Charges vary from a flat monthly fee to one that is dependent on how many transactions you have or on a minimum account balance.

"The type of checking account to now look for is one that does not have a monthly service charge, minimum balance requirement or limit on the number of transactions you can make," says Bankrate's Mr. McBride.

2. ATM

If you use an ATM that doesn't belong to your bank or doesn't have an agreement with your bank, you could get whacked twice -- once by your bank and once by the bank whose ATM you're using. Fees typically range between $2 and $4. And the bite is getting bigger.

3. Overdraft

Charges can add up when you unknowingly bounce a check or go over your account balance. Many consumers argue that banks should deny them cash at the ATM if the withdrawal is going to overdraw the account. But most banks don't do so because allowing the transaction to go through and charging the subsequent penalty brings in money.

4. Deposit returned

If a check deposited in your account bounces, you're charged a fee just as if you had bounced the check yourself.

5. Tellers

Banks drew fire from consumers in the 1990s when they tried charging a fee if human interaction occurred when depositing or withdrawing money. There are scattered reports of these fees popping up again, mostly for "excessive" use of tellers. Some banks give you two free teller visits per month, but charge you after that -- say, $2 or $4 for each extra visit.

6. Inquiries

This is the phone version of teller fees. Make a call to ask about your account balance, a charge or to order new checks and you could get hit with a service fee ranging from 50 cents to $5.

7. Closing accounts

Many banks will charge you a fee if you close an account within 90 days -- and sometimes within six months -- of opening it. Bankrate has seen fees between $5 and $25.

8. Currency conversions

Fees to convert currency are on the rise -- both what you're charged when withdrawing local currency from a foreign ATM and what you pay to convert any unspent money back to dollars at your local bank.

9. Credit cards

Legislation going into effect next year will put caps on some credit-card late and over-limit fees and on how they're charged against old and new balances. Until then, expect to see them grow. Grace periods also are expected to end or be severely restricted.

10. Annual membership

In the early days of credit cards, issuers charged consumers a yearly fee for the right to use the card. Competition drove most annual fees away, but it looks like they may make a comeback. An annual fee could cost you $29 or more.


*** Ace! is a member of the EducationUSA global educational advising network affiliated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. We provide free EducationUSA counseling services to students in the northern provinces of Thailand; our faculty of U.S.-trained Test Prep Experts can help you with cost-effective result-driven training programs for SAT-1, SAT-2, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, GED, IELTS etc ***