Foreign language courses growing on campuses

A growing number of college students are studying foreign languages, a trend propelled by greater interest in Rosetta Stone Spanish V3 Arabic, a broader palette of languages being taught and more crowded language classes at community colleges, a new study finds.But despite the strong interest, experts warn that foreign language study on campuses is in peril because of budget cuts and a dwindling number of graduate students who form the foundation of future college language faculties.The latest figures from the Modern Language Association, released Wednesday, show that enrollment in foreign language courses grew 6.6 percent between 2006 and 2009, achieving a high mark since the study began in 1960.While advocates of language study say any growth is good, things have slowed down since the group's previous report, which showed 12.9 percent growth between 2002 and 2006."This is a vulnerable time for language study," said Rosemary Feal, the association's executive director and a Spanish professor at the University of Buffalo. "While interest in language study remains strong and students are increasingly interested in studying a wide range of languages, opportunities to study languages may be threatened by program cuts at many colleges and universities."Spanish remained the most popular language, with 864,986 students enrolled in classes, a 5 percent increase from 2006. Other European standbys such as French, German and Italian gained, too, but not as fast as other languages.The biggest gainer was Arabic, which jumped to No. 8 from No. 10 on the list of most-studied languages.Interest in languages often rise with world events, but many experts say Arabic is not a passing fad considering the long-term importance of U.S. relations with the Muslim world.Enrollments in Arabic courses Rosetta Stone Portuguese grew 46 percent, to 35,083. Other languages that saw double-digit enrollment gains include Korean (up 19 percent), Chinese (18.2 percent), American Sign Language (16.4 percent), Portuguese (10.8 percent) and Japanese (10.3 percent).More than 244 less-commonly taught languages saw enrollment growth of more than 20 percent in total. More than 35 languages were being taught that were not in classrooms in 2006, including several Native American languages.Russell Berman, professor of German studies and comparative literature at Stanford University, cites a variety of reasons for the growth of foreign language study: career opportunities, students motivated by their heritage, the rise of globalization and the importance of foreign languages as a cornerstone of a liberal arts education.The report also shines a light on significant growth of language studies at two-year colleges - 14 percent between 2006 and 2009. Community colleges see more students in general during down economic times. But Feal also said more students see the job training perks to speaking another language."If a student is going into health care, it might be important to learn Vietnamese or Korean if it's spoken in the community," she said.More disturbing to supporters of foreign language education is the 6.7 percent decline in graduate enrollments in foreign languages. While Feal said there are more qualified PhD holders than tenure-track positions in languages, the decrease "may limit avenues of study for a generation or more."A thorough accounting of the foreign-language cutbacks at colleges is hard to come by. Robert Parnham, a professor of French at the University of Tennessee at Martin who has been sounding the alarm about the trend, said 70 programs at 39 institutions have either been eliminated or threatened in the last 30 months alone.In Louisiana, some foreign-language students took part Rosetta Stone Software in a mock jazz funeral for the humanities after officials announced the elimination of majors in German and Latin and basic classes in other languages because of state budget cuts.The similarly budget-challenged State University of New York announced this fall it would no longer let students major in French, Italian and Russian, citing the relatively low number of majors, among other factors."It's perplexing given the increased student demand," said Berman, of Stanford. "It's also perplexing given a decade or more of discussion about globalization and the need for Americans to become more aware of the world around them."

‘Scots texts should be compulsory in schools’

The open letter revealed today by The Herald demanding greater promotion of Scots language Rosetta Stone Languages and literature in schools centres on two key demands. The academics and writers behind the letter believe it is no longer good enough to rely on the enthusiasm of individual class teachers to promote Scots writers. Instead, they believe an element of compulsory study of Scottish texts is required to ensure that new generations of Scots grow up with an understanding of their culture and literary heritage. The letter to Michael Russell, the Education Secretary, states: If our children are to develop an appreciation of Scotland's vibrant literary and linguistic heritage as recommended in Curriculum for Excellence, course guidelines must require the study and assessment of a wide range of texts across the whole range of our linguistic heritage, including texts in Scots. Campaigners also believe the role of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the country's exams body, is crucial. It is particularly important that the Scottish Qualifications Authority's current project to develop assessment arrangements for upper stage qualifications should address this issue,the letter states. Weak and imprecise recommendations like at least one Scottish text should be studied' will fail to achieve this. In the examination system there should be a minimum mandatory Scottish literature element at every level. These steps could be implemented from next session and would have insignificant cost implications. In addition to compulsory study and assessment of Rosetta Stone Cheap Scots texts, the letter also calls for the endorsement of proposals recently put forward by the Ministerial Working Group on the Scots Language. This called for the appointment of Scots language co-ordinators at council level to roll out the promotion of the language. In addition, the authors of the letter believe that, to complement this proposal, it is essential that a designated full-time post or department responsible for Scots language and Scottish literature should be created within the proposed Scottish Education Quality and Improvement Agency (Seqia). The agency, which will be set up following a merger of HM Inspectorate of Education and curriculum body Learning and Teaching Scotland, has a remit to progress the Curriculum for Excellence. The letter states that this should involve working with other literary and linguistic agencies to help support the teaching of Scottish literature at all stages. It should act as a central point for producing and sharing resources and online teaching materials. And it should support education professionals in their development of good teaching practice in Scots language and Scottish literature,the letter states. Establishing a Scots language and Scottish literature post or bureau within Seqia would require only a moderate level of investment. There is already tremendous goodwill, interest and growing commitment within Scotland's education community. The return on any investment would be huge in terms of social inclusion, improved language and literacy skills and the individual confidence of our young people, all aims shared by the Scottish Government. Excerpts from the open letter to Michael Russell We, the Rosetta Stone Spain Spanish V3 undersigned, are calling on the Scottish Government this Burns Day to end generations of neglect of the Scots language and Scottish literature within Scotland's education system. Successive Scottish Ministers and education policy makers have said that Scotland's language and literature are important to learning and teaching in this country. But each administration has failed to invest adequately in training and resources to ... ensure that this engagement actually takes place at every level. The result is that Scotland has a teaching profession often ill-equipped to teach Scotland's young people about their own country's language and literature. The absence of Scots language and Scottish literature from many classrooms sends the message that our own language and literature are simply not important. The lack of any mandatory formal assessment of Scottish literature in the examination system reduces its status in the eyes of many teachers and often denies our students access to the literature of the land in which they live. The continuing low level of Scots language provision perpetuates discrimination against those tens of thousands of pupils in our schools for whom Scots is their first language. We appreciate recent initiatives by the present Government to raise the status of Scots in general, but consultations and well-meaning statements about Scots language and Scottish literature in education are no longer enough. Action Rosetta Stone Languages and investment are long overdue and urgently required.

DIA Workshop Features Industry and FDA for Discussion of Best Practices for Electronic Establishment Registration and Product Listing

The Drug Information Association (DIA), in collaboration with Rosetta Stone the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), PhRMA, and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), will host eDrug Listing and Establishment Registration--FDA and Industry: Overview and Lessons Learned on SPL (August 11-12; Philadelphia, PA) The FDA Amendments Act (FDAAA) mandated the requirements for electronic drug establishment registration and drug product listing. FDA has adopted the use of extensible markup language (XML) files in a standard structured product labeling format as the standard format for the exchange of drug establishment registration and drug product listing information. Featured topics will include: Lessons learned from the electronic registration/drug product listing pilot Validation rules applied by FDA Nuances of Rosetta Stone V3 SPL lifecycle management, including findings from the electronic listing pilot and early production submissions. SPL Release 4 terminology Product listing and establishment registration for various complex scenarios (e.g., export only products, product kits, etc.) The SPL Vendor Showcase will provides an opportunity for attendees to evaluate a number of currently available services and tools as they are used to produce an equivalent final product. During this session, participating vendors will demonstrate their services and/or tools and present their results. The SPL Live QA will allow attendees to ask key FDA representatives about electronic establishment registration and product listing regulatory content, SPL technical content, or the ESG submission process This one-of-kind event is the only opportunity to hear industry and FDA representatives discuss best practices for electronic establishment registration and product listing, says Program Co-chair Therese Brunone, MS, Assistant Director, Global Regulatory Operations, GlaxoSmithKline.About the Drug Information Association (DIA)DIA serves more than 30,000 professionals involved in the biopharmaceutical industry and regulatory affairs worldwide. Through its Rosetta Stone Chinese domestic and international meetings, training courses, workshops and webinars, DIA provides a neutral global forum for the exchange of information critical to the advancement of the drug discovery and lifecycle management processes. Headquartered in Horsham, PA, USA, and with offices in Basel, Switzerland, Tokyo, Japan, Rosetta Stone Languages Mumbai, India, and Beijing, China, the Association is led by its volunteer-based Board of Directors and executive management team.

Slink into Spring with Python Bootcamp

Slink into Spring with Python Bootcamp, Rosetta Stone May 8-12, 2006.Python guru Mark Lutz, returns to the Big Nerd Ranch May 8-12, 2006 with Python Bootcamp. Python, one of the most adaptable and powerful programming languages making a mark in the industry, has developed a large and growing community of followers. Spanning a spectrum of needs and uses, Python provides an ideal open source solution to developers of web-based, GUI or command-line applications. Its dynamic coding possibilities have been tapped for a variety of markets, from Yahoo and Google to scientific environments such as Los Alamos, NOAA and NASA, to hardware and Q/A testing by Hewlett Packard and Seagate. Its possibilities have also been tapped for movie animation, the stock market, gaming systems, etc. There is no better opportunity for learning Python than with Mark Lutz at the Big Nerd Ranch.To best present this versatile and hard-working programming language, Big Nerd Ranch has tapped into the well-honed talents and knowledge of Mark Lutz, one of the most respected leaders in the Python arena. Mark has authored a number of core textbooks in Python, including the O Reilly books Programming Python and Python Pocket Reference, as well as Rosetta Stone Cheap Learning Python. He has been active in the Python community as a trainer writer and software developer and has been teaching Python classes since 1997. Big Nerd Ranch has invested a lot of time researching and cultivating ideal instructors to teach its classes. When we were able to recruit Mark Lutz to teach Python Bootcamp, it was the perfect match between state-of-the-art class and excellence in instruction, commented Aaron Hillegass, Big Nerd Ranch founder. Mark is one of the few individuals in the Python community whose background boasts both the knowledge and teaching background necessary to produce the high level of instruction Big Nerd Ranch students have come to expect. From the first few minutes of class, students attending Python Bootcamp are plunged head-first into the inner dynamics of programming in Python. At the end of the five days, students will be able to: Develop applications using Python Utilize Pythons built-in toolset Use OOP in Python Rosetta Stone Arabic V3 Access databases from Python Create graphical interfaces with Python Apply Python as a scripting languageFor a complete syllabus, visit bignerdranch /classes/python.shtml.The Big Nerd Ranch incorporates intensive training classes for Unix and Mac OS X programmers in a retreat setting outside Atlanta, GA.Class price of $3500 includes lodging, all meals, original instruction materials, 24-hour lab access, and transportation to and from the Atlanta airport. Students are encouraged to bring independent projects to class, allowing for input Rosetta Stone Languages from classmates and individual instructor attention.

Facility opens new identity at U.

The petals from the cherry blossoms across campus draped Livingston yesterday afternoon as Cheap Rosetta Stone Software University President Richard L. McCormick cut the red ribbon to officially unveil the new student center. Also present were Sen. Bob Smith, D-17, Piscataway Mayor Brian C. Wahler, Vice President for Student Affairs Gregory S. Blimling, Livingston College senior Victoria Rowlands and Executive Director of Student Life Elizabeth O'Connell-Ganges."There has yet to be an institution on campus with as many spaces to utilize," O'Connell-Ganges said. "We're having an open house to showcase all the new technology." The grand opening celebration highlighted the new facilities and technology now available. One aspect O'Connell-Ganges spoke of was the high-tech collaborative learning center, where students can connect their laptops to computer-projection systems at each workstation to do group work. Jason Goldstein, board member of the Rutgers University Alumni Association, played an active role in getting the expansion in the student center. "I spent years with undergraduates and graduates to see this moment," he said. "I can sense the dedication of all the people over the years who helped to put this together."While eating at Sbarro and Dunkin' Donuts, members of the community can bask in the light beneath a high-ceiling sunroom with three large-screen televisions playing news and entertainment programming.Of the many new features in the center, the Rutgers Zone, which will open officially on Monday, stands out as an Rosetta Stone Spanish Latin ultra-modern lounge. "Student Life and the Livingston Campus Council had a lot of input as to the games and what students would like out of this room," said Adam Helgeson, a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student. "Virtual put-put has to be tried it's so unique, such a perceptual experience."The Rutgers Zone will also be a hub for signature sundaes and rush events for fraternities and sororities, he said."Hopefully, lots of people will hold their events here," Helgeson said. "It's such a cool hangout place. Once they're done with class on Livingston campus, students can come here to play pool or just sit at the bar for a soda or two." The Rutgers Zone will also remove the pressures associated with drinking or dressing up at bars or clubs, he said.The Rutgers Zone is outfitted with its own scarlet knight statue, complete with its signature scarlet cloak. Skee ball, basketball, baseball and football games, air hockey, billiards, pinball and a comfortable lounge area complete the room, which faces a bar with five large-screen televisions.A jukebox nearby played oldies, like Simon and Garfunkle's "Mrs. Robinson" and The Eagles' "Hotel California." "We arranged with a third party company to license all the music to really provide the best atmosphere for our students to hang out in," Helgeson said.The multipurpose aspect of the Rutgers Zone and state of the art audio-visual equipment will be of great use, Director of Student Centers and Programs Kathryn Kuhnert said."We're all certainly excited for the new open-floor plan, flexibility of space and the new technology," she said. "We have multipurpose and state of the art audio-visual equipment that we'll be sure to Rosetta Stone Software utilize to the fullest extent."Livingston Hall, in which the guest speakers gave their speeches, seats 330 and has several large projection screens and an audio-video station, from which a multitude of lighting environments can be controlled."Really, this is a spectacular center that students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the community can utilize for daily events," O'Connell-Ganges said. "It offers multiple functionalities and opportunities for student and faculty connections with a bold arrangement of events."

James McAvoy steps into Patrick Stewart’s blockbuster shoes in X-Men: First Class

If you can judge a man by the vehicles he owns, Scots actor James McAvoy is a cross between Rosetta Stone Languages early Marlon Brando and vintage Richard Briers – The Wild One meets The Mild One. The everyday Mr McAvoy owns a big old family car, is dad to a one-year-old son, husband to fellow actor Anne-Marie Duff, lives in north London, doesn't want to move to LA, but can see himself mooching along happily in the Trossachs some day. His alter-ego has a Triumph Street Triple motorcycle, described by its makers as oozing agility and attitude, and a career that's currently registering 100mph on the speedometer. After a taster of high-octane action in Wanted, the actor now has what every boy racer covets a starring role in a superhero blockbuster. X-Men: First Class takes the Marvel Comics characters back to their 1960s beginnings. McAvoy, star of films such as Atonement and The Last King Of Scotland, plays the young Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, the man who will become mentor to mutants who want to use their superpowers for the common good. Directed by Matthew Vaughn of Kick-Ass fame, and weaving in epochal events such as the Cuban missile crisis, X-Men: First Class is being seen as the first part in an ambitious trilogy. There's a lot, in short, riding on the kid from Drumchapel. It's just as well the 32-year-old likes jumping off tall buildings, a tale we'll return to later. For now, McAvoy is explaining how he first got into the X-Men as a teenager. The cartoon was really fun. Exciting and daring and action packed, but fun. That's what these films should be. Not that there's anything wrong with them being serious and worthy at the same time, he adds. I like to jump off things. Any situation in which you are nervous is like jumping off something Rosetta Stone V3 so just do it quickly' The PS is typical of McAvoy in interview mode. Never dull, always charming, but in the manner of his Celtic hero, Jimmy Johnstone, he jinks his way through answers without straying too far off course or revealing too much. But now and again he'll make a daring run down the wing and, in the blur, you catch a glimpse of the private McAvoy, boy and man. (How private are McAvoy and Duff? It took almost a year before Duff revealed that their son's name was Brendan.) We meet in London a few days after the Baftas, an occasion when he stood before an audience of fellow stars and directors and fluffed his lines, repeating the line the nominees are when he should have launched into and the winner is. But he bounced back immediately and generally looked about as relaxed as if he was at his granny's for tea. He's hugely confident in a most un-Scottish way. Always has been, it seems. Asked if he'd ever felt like one of the X-Men outcasts, he says once, when as a teenager he went to a fancy ball in Rosetta Stone Spanish Glasgow. I felt completely out of my depth. They were all very nice, but it was just all very posh. I'd never met kids with that much money before. I had to wear a tie and a suit, so I wore my school trousers, a stripy Levi shirt, which I thought was really cool, a burgundy felt sports jacket, and I borrowed my friend Peter's yellow and green pineapple silk tie. When he walked in the door he found the event was wall to wall kilts, tuxedos and ball gowns. Rather thank slink away he got stuck in socially. Totally. I was sitting at a table, chatting away, all that kind of stuff. Most people were nice but most people were kind of laughing at the way I was dressed. McAvoy was brought up by his grandparents and mother after his parents split when he was seven. Despite reports of his being Rosetta Stone Languages estranged from his father, his life in Glasgow surrounded by other family and friends must have been happy, judging by the wrench he felt when he left. He reveals this when I ask if he'd ever go to the US to live. No. I've already moved from one country to England. I don't want to do it again, [that] was hard enough. It took me about three years to get used to London.

People You Know Have Stuff You Want: Community-Based Classified Ads Network Connects You to The Communities You’re Already a Part Of

Using the newly-launched Ad Communities, Rosetta Stone V3 individuals and groups gain a new level of control and safety when posting classified ads online. Within Ad Communities there are two distinct kinds of communities:1. At the town or city level, users will find pre-built communities for every municipality as well as any private school, junior high, high school or college near them. These are open to all local users by default, though a verified school official may request control of all administrative functions to add an additional safety factor for school-based communities.2. At the organization level, anyone can create a community for their company, office building, dormitory, apartment complex, church or even a school’s PTA or any group of people sharing a common bond. User-created communities can be completely open and public, invite-only or can be locked down by requiring each subscriber to register an email address from a particular domain.By creating a classified ads network that is fully customizable and Rosetta Stone French V3 controlled by local entities, transactions can be facilitated between people who already know each other and live and work within the same community. "Maybe the guy you rode the elevator with this morning has the playoff tickets you’re looking for or the woman you parked next to would be able to carpool three days a week," said Sean Anderson, Ad Communities founder. "Ad Communities lets you easily connect with any group to get what you need while also developing your own real-world networks, because these are people you already know or are very likely to run into again. And when given the right tools and a measure of safety and security, we believe they've got plenty of things to buy, sell and share."While the focus is on user-created communities, Ad Communities also has over 100,000 town and city-based communities developed worldwide, allowing users to reach a broader and more anonymous audience if they prefer. Additionally, users can belong to as many communities as they’d like, with the universal Ad Communities interface allowing them to create an ad that will run in multiple communities in a single step, or to search or browse for what they’re looking for within a single organization, Rosetta Stone Software throughout their town, or around the world.Launch-time languages include English and Spanish, with several additional languages ready for deployment soon. About Ad CommunitiesAd Communities is a technology service allowing any group of people to create and manage their own free and secure classified ads network. To learn more about Ad Communities, visit us at adcommunities .

Daley school plan fails to make grade

Six years after Mayor Richard Daley launched a bold initiative to close down Cheap Rosetta Stone Software and remake failing schools, Renaissance 2010 has done little to improve the educational performance of the city’s school system, according to a Tribune analysis of 2009 state test data.Daley school plan fails to make gradeRenaissance 2010 officials defend efforts to upgrade education for Chicago students over last 6 yearsSix years after Mayor Richard Daley launched a bold initiative to close down and remake failing schools, Renaissance 2010 has done little to improve the educational performance of the citys school system, according to a Tribune analysis of 2009 state test data.Scores from the elementary schools created under Renaissance 2010 are nearly identical to the city average, and scores at the remade high schools are below the already abysmal city average, the analysis found. The moribund test scores follow other less than enthusiastic findings about Renaissance 2010 that displaced students ended up mostly in other low-performing schools and that mass closings led to youth violence as rival gang members ended up in the same classrooms. Together, they suggest the initiative hasnt lived up to its promise by this, its target year.There has been some good and some bad in Renaissance 2010, but overall it wasnt the game changer that people thought it would be, said Barbara Radner, who heads the Center for Urban Education at DePaul University. In some ways it has been more harmful than good because all Rosetta Stone Chinese the attention, all the funding, all the hope was directed at Ren10 to the detriment of other effective strategies CPS was developing.Turning around public schools is the core of Daleys efforts to keep the city vibrant. But the outcome of his ambitious education experiment is as important to the nation as it is to Chicago. The architect of Renaissance 2010, former schools CEO Arne Duncan, is now the U.S. Secretary of Education and hes taking the Daley-Duncan model national as part of his Race to the Top reform plan.Duncan is using an unprecedented $4.35 billion pot of money to lure states into building education systems that replicate key Ren10 strategies. The grant money will go to states that allow charter schools to flourish and to those that experiment with turning around failing schools all part of the Chicago reform.Illinois education officials hope to get a piece of the pie and are preparing an application for Tuesdays deadline. Renaissance 2010 was launched in 2004 after decades of school reforms failed to fix chronically underperforming schools. City leaders promised to close the worst schools and open 100 innovative ones that would rely heavily on the private sector for ideas, funding and management. Central to the plan was an increase in charter schools, which receive tax dollars but are run by private groups free from many bureaucratic constraints.Daley and Duncan credit the program with injecting competition and invigorating a stagnant system and say it has laid a foundation the district can build on.We havent looked at all the data, but our belief is that Renaissance 2010 dramatically improved the educational options in communities across Rosetta Stone Software Chicago, said Peter Cunningham, Duncans spokesman, who followed him from Chicago to Washington. We believe that it is contributing to Chicagos overall success. Renaissance 2010 and Race to the Top both reflect a willingness to be bold, hold yourself to higher standards and push for dramatic change, not incremental change.Cunningham and other supporters argue that many new schools, mainly in low-income and high-crime neighborhoods, are outperforming nearby traditional schools.

How Corrupted Language Moved from Campus to the Real World

- In some quarters I’m viewed as a lawyer with a professional identity problem: I’ve spent half Rosetta Stone Store of my time representing students and professors struggling with administrators over issues like free speech, academic freedom, due process and fair disciplinary procedures.How Corrupted Language Moved from Campus to the Real WorldBy Harvey A. SilverglateIn some quarters Im viewed as a lawyer with a professional identity problem: Ive spent half of my time representing students and professors struggling with administrators over issues like free speech, academic freedom, due process and fair disciplinary procedures. The other half Ive spent representing individuals (and on occasion organizations and companies) in the criminal justice system.These two seemingly disparate halves of my professional life are, in fact, quite closely related: The respective cultures of the college campus and of the federal government have each thrived on the notion that language is meant not to express ones true thoughts, intentions and expectations, but, instead, to cover them up. As a result, the tyrannies that I began to encounter in the mid-1980s in both academia and the federal criminal courts shared this major characteristic: It was impossible to know when one was transgressing the rules, because the rules were suddenly being expressed in Rosetta Stone Cheap language that no one could understand.In his 1946 linguistic critique, Politics and the English Language, George Orwell wrote that one must let meaning choose the word, not the other way around. By largely ignoring this truism, administrators and legislators who craft imprecise regulations have given their particular enforcement armscampus disciplinary staff and federal government prosecutorsenormous and grotesquely unfair power.In my dual capacities as author and attorney, I have written two books, one on each subject. In 1998, I co-authored (with Professor Alan Charles Kors) The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on Americas Campuses. In that book, Kors and I detailed the absurd and decidedly anti-intellectual spread of campus speech codesstudent guidelines often cloaked in harassment vernacular like emotional harm or demeaning effectthat essentially conflate words and conduct. These codes, by their own terms, claim to protect vulnerable or historically disadvantaged students (and even faculty and staff members) from feeling insulted, harassed or marginalized by having to listen to words that, to someones sensibilities, wound. (That some college administrator in 2010 sees these measures as the solution, Rosetta Stone Italian V3 rather than as a part of the problem, is deeply disappointing to one who saw firsthand the drawbacks of a Princeton Class of 1964 with no women and a single American-born black student. I am startled that, so many years after my own graduation from college, such a demeaning attitude toward students in minority groups is so prevalent in higher education, as if they need special protection from words and ideas.)My most recent book examines an analogous phenomenon in the criminal justice system: vagueness of federal law. The U.S. Department of Justice Rosetta Stone began prosecuting people, around the mid-1980s, under statutes and regulations that even I could not understand; whats worse, federal courts seemed not to recognize this obvious unfairness and convicted people of serious crimes carrying harsh sentences.

Education News

TodayWider school edicts fought A backlash Rosetta Stone Spanish V3 over national education reforms is growing in Colorado, with some school leaders rejecting what they call a federal intrusion into the classroom. Student fluency woes rising The number of Boston school students identified as lacking fluency in English surged dramatically over the past school year, presenting further challenges for a school district already under federal investigation for failing to provide adequate programs for students trying to learn the language. A new look at Teach for America and the high costs involved Heres a new look at the independent research on the effectiveness of Teach for America teachers. Around the country today thousands of young Teach for America recruits are getting a crash course in how to teach students in low-income urban and rural schools, a job they have promised to do for the next two years. Student avatars could help improve teacher training Monique, the eager-to-please girl with the chirpy alto, is raising her hand again. But Im more interested in drawing Maria who hides in the back row and avoids eye contact out of her shell. Higher Education23,000 university jobs threatened by cutsBritish students face the largest university class sizes in the developed world as thousands Spanish Rosetta Stone of lecturers jobs are threatened by public sector cuts, ministers have been waned. Michigan colleges create joint film instituteNearly two dozen students gathered Wednesday to participate in a program with the states three largest universities to drive Michigans burgeoning film industry, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced Project Targets Nevada To Improve College SuccessNevada has been chosen as the first state to take part in a project designed to improve the nations college graduation rates and elevate the status of its work force to better compete in a global economy. Students May See Some Gains Through New Textbook RulesRules provide greater transparency on pricing and restrict publishers from bundling books with supplemental materials. With college textbooks costing an estimated average of $900 a year, student and consumer groups say new federal rules taking effect this summer could generate savings for low-income students in the years ahead. Miami University sororities antics spur alcohol debateOXFORD, Ohio (AP) Sorority spring formals call up visions of young women in colorful dresses dancing the night away not vomiting on tables, urinating in sinks or having sex in closets. The drunken shenanigans of three sororities at Miami University in southwest Ohio sound like something out of Animal House and were especially startling for a school that frequently makes the top 50 in a U.S News World Report academic ranking but never makes lists of big-time party schools. CommentariesAn Interview with Neal Mc Cluskey: The Right Reasons Why the Teacher Bailout is Wrong Michael F. Shaughnessy The primary reason taxpayers should oppose the teacher bailout and were really talking about a bailout for both teachers and other public-schooling staffers is that we have increased public-school staffing for decades Rosetta Stone Software and gotten no corresponding improvement in achievement.Small Schools Work After All, A Good Study ShowsPaul Peterson In Chablis-sipping circles, it has become fashionable to condemn the small-school initiative by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Education funding solution: tuition for foreigners

Dave Mundy - I have a solution (at least a partial one) to Texas’ educational funding problem. Rosetta Stone Store It’s simple, it’s easy and it’s rational. Charge tuition for foreign nationals attending Texas public schools.? The cost of public education in Texas has nearly doubled since 1995, when the Texas Education Agency was first tasked with publishing statewide educational statistics. We could send a kid to school to be educated for a year for $4,504 in 1995, with $2,637 of that cost spent directly on instruction.? In 2010, that cost had risen to $8,572. The difference? Some 210,000 more educational staff statewide (99,000 teachers) to handle 1.2 million more students — and a sharp rise in the number of students whose first language is not English.? The percentage of Texas students who are listed by the TEA as being “Hispanic” has risen from 36 percent in 1995 to 49 percent last year; the number of African-American students has stayed at the same 14 percent ratio, while the number of white students has plummeted from 47 percent to 33 percent.? In the meantime, the number of students enrolled in special education has tailed off from a high of 12 percent to just nine percent last year, while the number of students requiring bilingual education or English as a Second Language has risen to 16 percent — that’s around Rosetta Stone Cheap one in six students.? Texas has always had a strong Hispanic influence; it’s part and parcel of our unique culture. For many of us, learning the Spanish language was part of going to school — it was required in the Deer Park ISD where I grew up, for example.? But never in Texas history have there been so many “Texas citizens” who can’t speak English — mainly due to the fact that most of those whose first language is Spanish aren’t citizens, aren’t trying to become citizens and aren’t the least bit interested in American citizenship. They’re just here for the freebies, including free schooling.? It’s time they paid their fair share.? There are those who maintain that many of these non-English-speaking drains on the public treasury are “citizens” deserving of the “right” to a “free public education.”?? The prevailing argument is that the 14th Amendment automatically grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. That interpretation is false: using that argument, children of foreign diplomats, for example, are American citizens whether they want to be or not.? The fact is, many of these so-called “citizens” are the products of fraud perpetrated against the American taxpayer — “anchor babies” born to illegal immigrants who cross the border just before giving birth. They use this fraud to circumvent the right of the American people to control their national borders.? Children of illegal aliens are also illegal aliens, whether they were born on the U.S. side of the border or not. And they are a drain on the resources of the American taxpayers.Texas school districts have been told that they cannot reject students based on citizenship status. But nothing says that a simple change in state Rosetta Stone Greek V3 law can’t accomplish what needs to be accomplished — finding a way to offset the massive cost of educating foreign nationals who are in our country unlawfully.? The federal government has already amply demonstrated that it will not live up to its constitutional obligation to protect our national borders. So here’s a solution available at the state level to the problem of foreign invaders bankrupting us.? First, we require all parents enrolling students in public school to show a picture ID to demonstrate their citizenship. That’s not a “racial” thing: everyone has to do it. Those who cannot supply information indicating they are U.S. citizens or lawful foreign nationals are classified as “unapproved resident foreign nationals” and subject to tuition costs.? The tuition I propose to charge is one-half of what the statewide total instructional expenditure was the previous year; thus, this year’s tuition based on 2010 numbers would be $2,488 per student. This tuition would be paid directly to the local school district Steelers Jerseys charged with educating those unlawful foreign nationals.? That still leaves us well short of the total expenditure on each pupil, of course. The remainder of that cost — again, using 2010 figures, that number would be $6,084 per kid — would be charged to the home country of the identified foreign nationals.? So if, say, a hundred thousand of Texas’ 4.8 million public school students were identified as being here unlawfully from, for example, Canada then Texas sends Canada a bill for $608.4 million to educate its citizens currently residing illegally within our borders.? It makes sense, it partially solves our education funding problems and it forces countries which are intentionally flooding Texas with their “unwanted” citizens to reconsider their policies.? Unfortunately, Texas lawmakers have proven time and time again over the years that they’re not willing to do what is necessary to solve public education issues.? When Texans told them they wanted more local control over education back in 1995, for example, State Sen. Bill Ratliff re-wrote the state’s education code to instead hand more power to local and regional administrators while requiring training in “consensus-building” for local school boards to stifle possible dissent.? Evidence has been introduced over and over again that the Texas Education Agency lied to the public about everything from test scores and dropout rates to accepting funding for Soviet-style “school-to-work” programs, but our legislators have never once stepped up to the plate and done their job and held that agency accountable.

There were investments in urban schools, in teachers, in teacher training, in teacher distribution that made a huge difference

The last time we made major headway on these issues was in the 1960’s and 70’s when we Rosetta Stone Spanish V3 had the war on poverty and we brought poverty, unemployment and segregation rates down. The achievement gap (between rich and poor) closed by more than three quarters in a very short period of time (15 years between the early 1970s and the mid-1980s). There were investments in urban schools, in teachers, in teacher training, in teacher distribution that made a huge difference. Had we continued with those policies, we would have had no racial achievement gap by the year 2000. In the 1980’s, we ended all those programs and never really regrouped.We have to address the problems now from both sides. On one hand, poverty and segregation are getting worse, and policymakers do not want to talk about it. On the other hand, we also have to address the issue of what we do to improve schools. A recent analysis of the ?achievement gap shows about a third of the achievement gap between affluent and poor students in 9th grade ?is present at kindergarten. That’s because kids are growing up in very different kinds of communities with different learning opportunities within the family and within the community. We’ve seen huge reductions in the achievement gap where communities have put high quality pre-schools in place. New Jersey is an example. The other two-thirds of the achievement gap is due to summer learning loss. Wealthy students continue to increase their learning during the summer, while low-income students lose ground. We have to improve education?? from September to June, but we also have to put in place summer learning opportunities.Then inside of school we have to equalize access to high quality teachers, and we have to improve the training of our teachers, which other countries have done. We have to get a curriculum that is focused on high order thinking and performance skills instead of bubbling in on multiple choice tests. Our kids are definitely disadvantaged because they are never asked on our tests to do the kinds of things that PISA asks them to do and other countries teach them to do: ?more focus on skills of research and analysis, requiring writing, Rosetta Stone Portuguese thinking and expressing your ideas.Is there a fast track to fix this?Many of the countries that were low achieving and are now high achieving made huge gains in a decade. We could make strong gains quickly if we could get focused.? A couple of things need to happen. We need to end the practice of allowing people to teach without training. There are states like Connecticut and North Carolina which put in place reforms in the 1990s where they raised salaries for teachers, raised standards for teachers for entry, preparation, and licensing, put in place induction ?programs to measure good teaching with strong performance assessments as well as support. In a few years they went from teacher shortages to surpluses, improved the quality of the teaching force, and raised student achievement. One of the problems we have in the United States however is that we tend to focus, make progress, and then backslide. We’re good innovators in terms of starting successful projects and programs in schools, but Steelers Jerseys without the emphasis that is needed to maintain the system.Is there a disconnect between education systems and the real world, i.e. the kind of education systems kids need to excel in the 21st century?I believe the disconnect is a concern in ?the UK as well as the US. Too often policymakers and educators ?think about a curriculum that consists of the facts you need to know across your 12 years of school, and schools are asked to make sure that students learn those facts instead of being able to use knowledge for complex problem solving, or being able to collaborate effectively.We need to expand students’ experiences to connect to the world out of school and we need to enable them to use technology to explore the world of ideas and to create new products.The change in mindset has to happen, first, at the governmental level, and it has to be reflected in student assessment.

Learn Chief Operating Officer to Present at the 2010 Pacific Crest Emerging Technology Summit as a Leading Cloud Provider

Learn , the knowledge platform Rosetta Stone V3 company, announced today that JW Ray, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, will present at the 5th annual Pacific Crest Emerging Technology Summit on February 25th at the InterContinental Hotel San Francisco, California. The Pacific Crest Summit is the premier conference for the technology sector s leading Rosetta Stone French V3 investors and executives, and features an agenda which will provide attendees with a unique perspective on the latest factors prevailing in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) sector.Mr. Ray will be among the headliners of a full slate of presentations from over 40 leading On-Demand companies, panel discussions, and keynote addresses. As one of the pioneers of Cloud Computing and the leader in the SaaS Learning industry, we are committed to providing thought leadership and cutting edge technology to the market,” said JW Ray, Chief Operating Steelers Jerseys Officer of Learn . “We are excited to share our unique business model and how Learn achieved record results during the worst economy in the past 8 decades.”

PolyVision, Conceptua Math, Britannica and SkillsTutor Partner to Improve Technology Integration

To help schools bring learning to life, PolyVision, a leader Rosetta Stone V3 in the development of interactive teaching and learning technology, has partnered with leading education software providers Conceptua Math, Britannica Digital Learning and SkillsTutor?. The companies have teamed up to help educators better integrate interactive technology into the classroom in ways that maximize school budgets and meet students’ expectations for learning in the digital age.With their open architecture, PolyVision interactive whiteboards give educators the freedom to use the hardware, software and digital tools they already know and love, including award-winning online software from Conceptua Math, Britannica Digital Learning and SkillsTutor. PolyVision’s technology requires no special software or extensive training to use. Combining PolyVision’s next-generation interactive classroom solutions, ēno, with the market’s leading educational software enables teachers to easily create budget-friendly, engaging 21st century learning experiences that engage and inspire students.“The most cost-effective technology is intuitive and inclusive for all learners,” said Adam Hall, President of SkillsTutor. “We’ve partnered with PolyVision because our companies share that vision. Additionally, ēno provides the most dynamic and affordable interactive classroom technology available to give students a fuller, richer experience with our solutions for their improvement.”A powerful online tutoring tool, SkillsTutor seamlessly integrates Rosetta Stone French V3 into the curriculum and provides targeted instruction for the classroom or extended use at home. Lessons and activities in reading, language, writing, math and science help support teachers, while giving students a tool to improve test scores and meet mandated state objectives. SkillsTutor solutions are available on mobile devices for true, anytime/anywhere learning.“The combination of PolyVision’s ēno one and Conceptua Fractions is seamless,” said Arjan Khalsa, CEO of Conceptua Math. “Partnering with PolyVision, we have created digital videos that demonstrate the dramatic impact of our combined solution. Teachers are getting the message that teaching fractions is more effective and easier when you use the right tools.”Conceptua Fractions is a supplemental online math curriculum that uses simple visual models to make it easy to teach fractions. Students progress from concrete to abstract representations, building conceptual understanding and procedural fluency.“Britannica has Steelers Jerseys succeeded as a digital company by creatively applying today’s classroom technologies to our current, high-quality educational content and producing products that really work for students and teachers,” said Michael Ross, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Britannica Digital Learning. “PolyVision’s interactive whiteboards are a big part of that. They show our products as they should be shown. And, I think our products provide excellent content for theirs. It’s a great match.”Britannica Digital Learning develops online learning and curriculum-correlated resources for students ranging from pre-school to college.

Businessolver Promotion Supports Client Centric Growth

Businessolver continues to Rosetta Stone grow and evolve to reflect its ongoing commitment to client delight. As part of this growth process, Molly Bower has been promoted to Senior Director of Client Services, with accountability for all staff in support of the Client Centric Teams.“Molly has been instrumental in driving our common language, strong performance and raising the bar across our teams from both a process and client management perspective,” said Brooke Knight, Vice President of Client Services at Businessolver. Bower will be responsible for managing daily operations, performance and client management.Bower has been at Businessolver for nearly two years, in the roles of Client Services Manager and Director/Team Lead. Her main responsibilities have been day-to-day management Rosetta Stone Cheap of client relationships; talent and performance management for a Client Centric Team; and internal leadership and development. Her new role will include responsibilities for the entire Client Services organization, driving consistent processes and encouraging an energetic and growth-filled environment.“I am looking for the opportunity to get to work with the Client Centric Teams on a more global level in order to have a high impact,” Bower said. “Businessolver offers so many great opportunities to individuals for growth. Our environment is unmatched, and the people that work here are the best.”Prior to her employment at Businessolver, Bower was a Corporate Training and Learning Specialist at GeoLearning. She has also been a Human Resources executive with Younkers Corporate. She believes both previous positions have helped her gain an understanding of her clients' points of view as Human Resources professionals.Businessolver is a provider of online benefits Rosetta Stone American English V3 administration services and benefit administration outsourcing services. Its web-based platform automates employers’ insurance benefit administration by consolidating multiple insurance carriers into a single platform and customizing the process to meet each employer’s unique enrollment requirements. In addition to Enrollment and Eligibility services, other Businessolver service offerings include: COBRA Administration, Billing and Financial Reporting, Service Center, Benefit Advisory Services, Eligibility Verification and Fulfillment. Steelers Jerseys Contact Businessolver for more information.

Celebrate the Year of Foreign Language Study, Winter Quarter Begins January 10, 2005 at Nashville s Tennessee Foreign Language Institute

The U.S. Senate has designated 2005 as ` Rosetta Stone Software The Year of Foreign Language Study , during which foreign language study is promoted and expanded in elementary schools, secondary schools, institutions of higher learning, businesses, and government programs. Americans live in a world of diverse cultures, a world where competence in more than one language is critical for communication and understanding. American business, non-governmental Cheap Rosetta Stone Software organizations and government agencies all have difficulty meeting the growing demand for multilingual employees at home and abroad.The Tennessee Foreign Language Institute can help you jumpstart your language learning this winter. Group classes in downtown Nashville, Green Hills, 100 Oaks, and Cool Springs begin on January 10th. Among the languages we offer are Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese; other languages may be offered depending upon demand.Specialized business classes and private classes Rosetta Stone Spanish Latin can also be arranged to meet your specific language needs.

SyberWorks e-Learning Podcasts: Episode #10 The Benefits of Using Business Language Rather Than Training Language

SyberWorks, a leader in custom Rosetta Stone e-Learning Solutions and the Learning Management Systemindustry, today announces the next episode in their e-Learning Podcast Series: The Benefits of Using Business Language Rather Than Training Language. Dave Boggs, CEO of SyberWorks, states, This is the first episode in a new miniseries that will focus on the business of learning management. The miniseries will consist of a series of interviews with Mark Bower, President and CEO of Bower and Company, Inc. ( bowercompany ), a learning- and performance-management consulting firm located in Colorado. Over the course of the series, we will discuss practical issues that impact learning professionals and training managers in the corporate training environment. The series will focus on business fundamentals in learning management that help training managers and learning professionals run their departments more efficiently and effectively. Boggs continues, In the first segment, Mark Bower discusses the use of Rosetta Stone V3 business language, rather than training (or learning-professional) language, and why this is important to your e-Learning and training programs. Mary Kay Lofurno, Director of Marketing at SyberWorks, narrates the series. SyberWorks e-Learning Podcast Series: Episode #10 The Benefits of Using Business Language Rather Than Training Language syberworks /audio/mark_bower01.mp3 is located in the SyberWorks Online Media Center at syberworks /elearning_podcast.htm in the About Us section of the SyberWorks web site. The transcript is located at syberworks /elpodcast5_transcript.htm.About SyberWorksSyberWorks, Inc. ( syberworks ) is a leader in the custom e-Learning Solutions and Learning Management System industries for Fortune 1000 corporations, higher education, and Rosetta Stone Latin Spanish other organizations. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company serves the multi-billion-dollar e-Learning market. Since 1995, SyberWorks has developed and delivered unique and economical solutions to create, manage, measure, and improve e-Learning programs at companies and organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe and other countries.

The Gotham City avenger comes to Glasgow

Holy flashbacks! What’s that signal beaming up into the sky over the west Rosetta Stone Languages of Scotland right now? See it? Yes, just coming out from behind the grey clouds. It’s an appeal, a clarion call to see a 72-year-old schizophrenic with sociopathic tendencies, who likes to wear pointy-eared hoodies, can’t seem to commit to a relationship, and likes to dress teenage boys in canary yellow capes and tights.Yes, Batman is winging his way towards Glasgow as part of a world arena tour, a multi-million pound spectacle that will feature a cast of 23 actors and acrobats, 50 tons of catwalk rigging to allow for flying effects, and a Batmobile that will whizz the length of the specially designed, extended, stage. Because of the demands of live performance, the show will feature two Batmen and two Robins.But will the live show work? Can you take the essence of the comic book hero who first appeared in 1939 and develop him in the arena stage? The DC Comics’ character’s relationship with the reader (me included) is intimate, alluring and exciting, largely because the action is played out in the head. Will the adventures of this highly visual on-stage vigilante stimulate the same responses?It’s mid-afternoon in rehearsals in the Capital FM arena in Nottingham and the tension in the hot air is palpable. A scene is being performed that requires not only incredible precision and direction but the stamina of a comic book hero. All of a sudden Batman has flown down on to the stage from nowhere. Now, there are clowns to the left of me, Joker to the right … and here I am in the in the middle of a battle between Gotham City’s saviour and 20 face-painted acrobatic hoodlums who have just tumbled out of a 20ft high face. There is a strong storyline and narrative. If you don't have a story then all the investment Rosetta Stone Cheap in the world won't matter' It’s the face of the Joker, Batman’s arch enemy and Batman has flown in to rescue Robin, who’s trapped in a giant transparent ball. Now the Joker’s henchmen are armed with martial arts poles, and they are attacking Batman. Can the Dark Knight save Robin from the Joker? Will Gotham City be safe from criminal psychopaths? More importantly, will Batman Live work as a live show?Executive producer Nick Grace, who has spent three years pulling the show together and can boast a CV including Walking With Dinosaurs Live, most certainly believes it will. Already he has plans to tour North America and Europe, with options for the Far East and Australia. But Grace reveals he first had to convince Warner Bros and DC Comics he could put on a show. There have been hundreds of people pitching for Batman over the years, but our pitch was different, he explains in soft but confident voice. We didn’t want to do the show as a musical in theatre (like Spiderman), instead we wanted to do an arena show, because Batman is such a big brand. And as a result we’ve got 20 actors and 23 acrobats, and a new specially-designed Batmobile. Also, we’ve put together an amazing creative team, which was theatrical and had worked in rock ‘n’ roll. Designer Es Devlin masterminded the recent Lady Gaga and Take That tours, while creative director Anthony Van Laast’s CV includes Mamma Mia! and Sister Act. On top of that, says Grace, Warner liked what we had been producing so far. To my shock and horror they said yes. Grace, who’s been producing arena shows for 15 years, won’t reveal the exact sum invested in the production, but the riggings alone which allow Rosetta Stone Spain Spanish V3 Batman and Catwoman to fly on to the stage would cost more than 1 million. However, he does concede both the tone of the show and the storyline are absolutely crucial to success.

How YouTube Works

In2007, CNN Rosetta Stone Language and YouTube partnered to let average Americans ask debatequestions to presidential hopefuls. Here, the Republican candidatesanswer YouTubers' questions. See more YouTube pictures.In February 2005, three PayPal employees launched the beta test version of a Web site called YouTube. They designed the site to let people share videos with the rest of the world. In November 2005, Sequoia Capital invested more than $3 million in the site, and a month later YouTube emerged as a full-fledged Web destination. It didn't take long for the site to become popular, and in November 2006, Internet search engine goliath Google purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion. As the company has grown, so has the scope of the videos on the site. In the early of YouTube, you could find videos showing interesting locations, crazy stunts and hilarious pranks. You can still find that sort of content today, but you'll also see political debates, musical performances, instructional videos and unfiltered war footage. In 2007, YouTube even provided members with a way to interact with potential United States presidential candidates. YouTube members submitted video questions, and CNN featured some of them in Democratic and Republican candidate debates. -YouTube has also become the center of several controversies. One of the most publicized controversies involves copyright infringement. YouTube doesn't prescreen videos before they appear on the site -- members upload thousands of videos every day. Sometimes, YouTube members will upload television shows or clips from movies to share with other people. If the YouTube member doesn't own the copyright to that material, there could be Language Learning Software trouble.Another controversy is currently brewing in the YouTube community itself -- the battle between the online community and corporations. YouTube has formed partnerships with major television studios like CBS, NBC and the BBC and with organizations like Universal Music, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. Notable celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Paris Hilton have also joined YouTube. Some YouTube members feel that these wealthy organizations and individuals are squeezing out the average contributor. They argue that average user videos are competing with people and organizations that have huge budgets and extensive resources, and some members suggest that these groups and celebrities are using underhanded methods to ensure their videos rise to the top of YouTube's various video lists. Drama, Drama, Drama!SomeYouTube members are very passionate about their online community, andthey aren't shy about communicating their thoughts. A search on theword rant brings up more than 35,000 video results. Some of YouTube'smost viewed contributors are the subject of many of these rants asother members accuse them of cheating in order to gain and maintaintheir popularity.-What is this loyal YouTube community? In this article, we'll explore YouTube channels and communities and learn some neat YouTube tricks. We'll also examine the YouTube video player, tour YouTube's main pages and discover the difference between the different types of YouTube accounts And we'll even take a look at YouTube's rules and guidelines as well as at the company behind the videos. Before we delve into Rosetta Stone Portuguese all things YouTube, it's a good idea to look at what the site is all about -- videos. In the next section, we'll learn about YouTube's video player, the video formats YouTube accepts and how members can help viewers find their work.

Geography of Georgia

Georgia, one of the southeastern states of the United States. It is bordered by Rosetta Stone Language North and South Carolina, the Atlantic Ocean, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee. Covering 59,441 square miles (153,953 km2), Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River.Economically, politically, and socially, Georgia underwent vast changes in the latter half of the 20th century, becoming more urbanized and less regional in its outlook, while still retaining its Southern character.Georgia's state bird is the brown thrasherGeorgia in briefGeneral informationStatehood: Jan. 2, 1788, the fourth state.State abbreviations: Ga. (traditional); GA (postal).State capital: Atlanta, since 1868. Earlier capitals included Savannah (1733-1782), Augusta (1786-1795), Louisville (1796-1806), and Milledgeville (1807-1868).State motto: Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.Popular name: The Empire State of the South.State song: "Georgia on My Mind." Words by Stuart Gorrell; music by Hoagy Carmichael.Symbols of GeorgiaState bird: Brown thrasher.State flower: Cherokee rose.State tree: Live oak.State flag and seal: The Georgia state flag, adopted in 2003, three alternating horizontal red and white stripes and features an image from one side of the state seal. Under the image are the words In God We Trust and surrounding it are 13 stars representing the original 13 states. The image from the seal is that of an arch supported by three pillars. The arch symbolizes the U.S. Constitution, and the pillars represent the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The state seal was adopted Rosetta Stone Software in 1914.Land and climateArea: 58,930 mi2 (152,627 km2), including 1,011 mi2 (2,618 km2) of inland water but excluding 47 mi2 (123 km2) of coastal water.Elevation: Highest--Brasstown Bald Mountain, 4,784 ft (1,458 m) above sea level. Lowest--sea level along the Atlantic coast.Coastline: 100 mi (161 km).Record high temperature: 112 °F (44 °C) at Greenville on Aug. 20, 1983.Record low temperature: –17 °F (–27 °C) in Floyd County on Jan. 27, 1940.Average July temperature: 80 °F (27 °C).Average January temperature: 47 °F (8 °C).Average yearly precipitation: 50 in (127 cm).PeoplePopulation: 8,186,453.Rank among the states: 10th.Density: 139 persons per mi2 (54 per km2), U.S. average 78 per mi2 (30 per km2).Distribution: 72 percent urban, 28 percent rural.Largest cities in Georgia: Atlanta (416,474); Augusta (199,775); Columbus (186,291); Savannah (131,510); Athens (101,489); Macon (97,255).EconomyChief productsAgriculture: beef cattle, broilers, cotton, eggs, greenhouse and nursery products, milk, peaches, peanuts, pecans.Manufacturing: chemicals, food products, paper products, textiles, transportation equipment.Mining: clays, crushed stone.GovernmentState governmentGovernor: 4-year term. Rosetta Stone English State senators: 56; 2-year terms.State representatives: 180; 2-year terms.Counties: 159.Federal governmentUnited States senators: 2.United States representatives: 13.Electoral votes: 15.Sources of informationFor information about tourism, write to: Georgia Department of Economic Development, Tourist Division, 285 Peachtree Center Avenue, NE, Suites 1000 1100, Atlanta, GA 30303-1230.