Study: Student Loan Worries Affect New College Students’ Mental Health

by: Jeff Mictabor

Researchers at the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California in Los Angeles say that worries about student loans are having a measurable negative impact on the mental health of first-year college students.

The latest results, from the fall of 2010, of the long-standing annual study “The American Freshman: National Norms” (http://www.heri.ucla.edu/pr-display.php?prQry=55) show that the overall mental health of first-year students in college has dropped to a 25-year low, prompted in part by concerns about the economy and paying for college.

Surveyed students among the class of 2014 cited growing concern about the current state of the economy and the need to pay for higher education with student loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/student-loans/) as a primary cause of chronic stress.

About half of the study subjects reported that they had had to take out student loans to pay for their education. Researchers say that these students also expressed uncertainty about their ability to repay their college loans after graduation.

Indirect woes related to students’ families and the economy also had a pronounced effect on new students. Paternal unemployment was cited as a serious concern of nearly 5 percent of students surveyed, while 8.6 percent of students reported that maternal unemployment was a significant concern.

Researchers report that a growing number of new college students can’t rely on family support to finance their education and must take on the burden of paying for college themselves by finding available student loans, grants, and scholarships (http://scholarships101.com/). Nearly three-fourths of the study participants reported that they received some grants or scholarships to help defray their higher education expenses, the highest reported proportion since 2001.

The study also noted that participants reported feeling frequently overwhelmed as high school seniors and that female participants reported a significantly lower state of mental health than did their male counterparts.

The study, which has been conducted annually since 1966, examines, among other things, the mental health status of more than 200,000 full-time first-year college students at nearly 280 four-year higher education institutions throughout the United States. Participation in the study is voluntary, and the survey questions are focused on the students’ self-perceptions of mental health.

Researchers say that the study results should serve as a warning to college administrators that students who are already overwhelmed with worries about financial and family matters when they arrive on campus may respond to high or increasing levels of stress by managing their time poorly, performing poorly in classes, or turning to drugs and alcohol or other self-destructive behaviors in an attempt to relieve stress.

Barely 52 percent of participants classified their perceived mental health status as “in the highest 10 percent” or “above average.” This characterization reflects a drop of 3.4 percent from the answers given by first-year students in 2009, and a drop of 11.7 percent from 1985, when mental health self-assessment questions were first added to the survey.

Concerns about the economy and post-graduation employment may be driving students to work harder. The study indicates that participants reported a stronger drive to achieve and higher perceived academic abilities than did past study participants. Nearly three-fourths of study participants said better earning potential was the chief benefit of a college degree.

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO GENERATE PASSIVE INCOME THROUGH ONLINE, TRY THIS

About The Author Jeff Mictabor is an enthusiast on the topic of student loan issues in the news. He has been writing for the past 10 years for a variety of education publications. He now offers his writing services on a freelance basis. The author invites you to visit: http://www.nextstudent.com

Energy-Saving & Environment Friendly Led Light Bulbs

by: Green Sim

Technological advancement is only possible through constant research and innovations. The latest example of such progress is the LED light bulb. Most research is carried out in order to find a way of improving the performance of an existing facility or to find a new product that will prove to be more economical and more efficient than the existing facility.

Positive Aspects of LED Light Bulbs

LED light bulbs have been developed to take the place of incandescent light bulbs or halogen light bulbs because they save energy, their efficiency is nearly double that of normal halogen bulbs and they do not have any harmful substance such as mercury. Moreover, these bulbs are environment-friendly because they can be recycled and they do not produce any heat. The durability and life expectancy of LED bulbs is in the region of 50,000 hours, which is much higher than that of the earlier bulbs. As such, once you have installed these LED light bulbs, you can forget about any cost of replacing them in the near future.

Energy-Saving Feature

The earlier incandescent or halogen light bulbs used to dissipate a large amount of energy by producing heat. This meant that the electricity bill was unnecessarily high. LED light bulbs have been created after a lot of research to eliminate the energy wasted due to heating, This has resulted in the creation of the latest innovative LED bulbs that do not produce any heat and consequently use much less energy to light up a room.

Whereas the halogen bulbs were using 85% of the electrical energy to produce heat and only the 15% balance was being used to produce light, the LED light bulbs utilize 90% of the electrical energy to produce light. Halogen bulbs were fitted with filaments through which electricity was passed in order to produce light but these filaments heat up and consume nearly 90% of the electricity for heating. In the case of LED bulbs, which use light emitting diodes for producing light, almost the entire electrical energy is converted into light energy without wasting any energy for heating. By using LED bulbs you can save 80% of your previous electricity bill. By using the LED bulbs you can make sure that you are contributing towards lessening global warming because no heating from the bulb is being dissipated into the atmosphere.

Cost Aspect

Although LED bulbs are more expensive than the halogen bulbs, it is almost a one-time expense because these bulbs have a long life, which means they do not need to be changed for a long time. The extra initial cost will easily pay for itself over the years. Moreover, since these bulbs use so little energy, they are environment friendly and do not add to pollution. The LED light bulbs have standard bulb fitting features making them convenient to install and replace anywhere.

GU10 LED Bulbs

GU10 LED bulbs are the most common replacement LED bulbs. Though they are similar to the normal LED bulbs, they have many similar LED lights placed in one fitting. GU10 LED bulbs have a specific type of fastening and in most commonwealth countries such as the UK, New Zealand and Australia; the standard fastening is the bayonet mount. These types of LED light bulbs are mostly used in offices, shops, commercial spaces and in showrooms. They are high in style and efficiency.

About The Author LED light bulbs does not use a filament to burn to produce light. They use diodes in a particular setting for producing light without wasting any energy. They are environment friendly as they do not produce any heat. Visit us: http://www.ledlightbulbsdirect.co.uk .

5 Key Ways to Engage your Facebook Business Page Fans

by: Wendy Moore

We’ve all heard that if you are in business, you need to have a Facebook Business page or Fan page.

Now that you’ve gone ahead and built your Facebook fan page, what’s the next step?

If you build it they will come… or will they?

If you now do nothing with your Facebook page, it will do nothing for you. Congratulations, you have a cyber-slug!

If you don’t have the time to spend keeping your page updated, or you don’t have the cash in your business to pay someone else to keep your page updated, you are wasting your time. It’s that simple.

We’re a fickle crowd. If you are not keeping your page current and populated with new and interesting bits and pieces to read, you won’t be top of mind with those that have liked your page.

Without posting on your wall, your fans are not seeing your page in their newsfeed. Your fans will have to remember to find and revisit your page. They won’t.

When was the last time you actively visited a page on Facebook purely because you thought of it?

Or did you see a post or comment in your newsfeed from a friend that caught your eye and you clicked through to find out more.

My guess is option 2. Most of us operate that way. We see what others are doing or talking about and then go and have a look see.

With that in mind, how can you apply the browsing habits of most online users to your Facebook page strategy to ensure people continue to visit your page?

1. Post 2 to 3 times per week

Yes, per week. Be on your wall posting articles, comments, questions, videos, photos, etc at least 2 to 3 times per week to keep your page fans engaged.

If you are not talking to your page visitors, someone else will be.

2. Post at different times of the day / different days of the week

Unless you know exactly when your page fans are online, make an effort to post at different times of the day and also, post on different days of the week.

By posting at different times of the day, you can make sure you are appearing in the newsfeed of your fans at differing times. People are online at different times of the day. Some like to early morning browse. Some jump online after lunch. Others do a quick catch up on what’s happening at dinner time or when they’ve finally put the kids to bed and have a few moments to themselves.

Likewise, some people are more active on weekdays. Others browse on the weekend when things have slowed down at work.

Know when your target market is online and post specifically to tap into their peak browsing times.

3. Repost your content

It’s perfectly fine to write one single article and post the same article to your wall 2 or 3 times. Just make sure you spread out the time between the posting.

For example, you may post an article at the start of the month and repost it at the end of the month. Why? No one can possibly be on Facebook 24 hours a day. There will be fans that would love to read your content but were not online when you first posted it.

Reposting gives people the chance to catch it on the second time around.

4. Post Content from other Sources

Be seen as in information disseminator. As well as sharing your own information, source material that you know will appeal to your target market.

If you read an article that was helpful to you in business, chances are, it will also benefit others. So share it.

Your Facebook page visitors will appreciate the gesture and may even “on-share” it, citing you as the reference point where they found it.

This is where the ability to tag in Facebook can be really useful. An article you found and posted can easily be shared as a link by someone else, with a tag to your page as a thank you for sharing. Win-win!

5. Respond to Comments or Questions

If someone posts a question or a comment on your page, reply. Sounds simple, but I’m amazed how many people don’t even bother to visit their own page to see what is happening on the wall.

Engaging with your visitors is an ideal way to establish rapport and build up a following of loyal fans who will love to hear from you.

If you do this, chances are next time they have a question in your field of expertise, they’ll ask you. Their friends will also see that they’ve posted on your Facebook business page wall and some will click through to see why.

Why Did you Build a Facebook Business Page?

Your aim when building a Facebook business page should be to generate traffic to your page, as a source of potential leads, clients and customers.

Your challenge is to keep them interested when they get there. Keep them engaged. Keep them coming back.

That way they’ll see you as the expert and seek your advice and opinion when they have an issue to solve or question to ask.

"Great opportunity to generate your side income HERE!

About The Author Wendy Moore is the founder of www.savvywebwomen.com and creator of the Savvy List Building Blog – the information packed resource that shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to get in front of an audience that wants to buy what they are selling. To receive your FREE Special Report and weekly how-to articles to expand your online List Building toolkit, visit www.wendymoore.net.

Membeli-belah di KL keempat terbaik di dunia

KUALA LUMPUR 26 Nov. - Rangkaian berita global, CNN hari ini mengiktiraf Kuala Lumpur sebagai bandar keempat terbaik di dunia destinasi membeli-belah mendahului beberapa bandar besar lain termasuk negara jiran.

Menteri Pelancongan, Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen berkata, pengiktirafan tersebut diberikan berdasarkan empat kriteria yang ditetapkan iaitu kesenangan pelancong untuk ke destinasi membeli-belah dan kepelbagaian jenama serta butik.

"Dua kriteria lagi termasuklah nilai kepada wang yang menyaksikan Kuala Lumpur satu-satunya diberi markah penuh (10) dan faktor terakhir adalah pengalaman kepada pelancong seperti keindahan bandar dan kecekapan pekerja," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian dalam sidang akhbar mengumumkan perkara itu di salah sebuah hotel di ibu negara.

Sementara itu, New York diiktiraf oleh CNN sebagai bandar terbaik untuk membeli-belah diikuti dengan London dan Tokyo.

Artikel Penuh: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Dalam_Negeri/20121127/dn_18/Beli-belah-KL-keempat-terbaik-di-dunia#ixzz2DNb0Ygm5
© Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd

 

 

 

Keeping it Simple

by: Awarenessinstitute

Over the past few months, the concepts of stripping back the superfluous, simplifying and pulling apart the true meaning of integrity have been strong personal themes. For many people, there’s a drive to again inspect old patterns that continue to run happily in the background despite years of self-examination. Perhaps under the direction of a new global energy, there’s a sense of being able to lovingly let go of those things that have served us all well on one level, yet have offered excuses to stay small on another.

I came across Don Miguel Ruiz’ “The Four Agreements” the other day and it strongly resonated with this desire to pare back; to simplify; to become more real as a participant in this world and begin operating in a more authentic way.

With these 4 simple tenets, we could literally change the way we as humans operate in this world. How do they resonate with you? Please feel free to share your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you.

1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

About The Author Awareness Institute is an organic community of professionally trained facilitators, clinicians and healers committed to inspiring an evolutionary shift in human consciousness. We value community, personal empowerment, integrity and self-responsibility through areas such as Energetic Healing, Psychic Development, Shamanic Practices, Contemporary Astrology, Transformative Meditation, Reiki and Living Your Soul/Life Purpose. The author invites you to visit: http://www.awarenessinstitute.com.au

IT Jobs: A promising Future

by: Irishnewjob

Information technology has entered almost in all sphere of our life. From electricity bill payment to shopping all are related and effected by IT in some way to other. Industries are automating their task to cut down manual labor cost. Home appliances, industrial machines, watch, automobiles are using software to enhance the quality of products. As a result demand of IT professionals is high in market.

IT jobs are promising, it offers hefty salary package with immense opportunity to grow and expand your career. If you are expert in your field and have good knowledge on your subject then you can easily get handsome salary package. All you need to have to build your career in It industry is right degree and skill, it is the only qualification you need to make your career in IT industry. If your are fresher and looking for primary level IT jobs then internet could help you in finding your avenue but for specialist level and higher standard IT jobs you have to rely on your professional contact as most of the organizations did not disclose higher level job opening at job portals.

You can start your IT career as a software engineer, web developer, database manager and IT Hardware professional. To accelerate your IT career it is important to update your skill from time to time. Learn industry level skill and enhance your capability. Course offered by SAP and Oracle are very promising though it is not easy to clear these exams but once you become SAP or Oracle certified professional you value will increase in the industry.

Searching IT Jobs is not a tough job there are various online portals and IT recruitment companies dealing in IT jobs. Job portals are more useful as there you can see different openings posted by numbers of IT companies. IT jobs are promising; it is one of the well-paid industries with fast growth rate. Start hunting for your dream IT job with online portals and give right shape to your career.

“Send your resume to online job portals for IT job and get hired by best IT companies.”

About The Author Searching IT Jobs is not a tough job there are various online portals and IT recruitment companies dealing in IT jobs. Job portals are more useful as there you can see different openings posted by numbers of IT companies. IT jobs are promising; it is one of the well-paid industries with fast growth rate. Start hunting for your dream IT job with online portals and give right shape to your career. “Send your resume to online job portals for IT job and get hired by best IT companies.” The author invites you to visit: http://www.iwantanewjob.ie

How to Conquer Math Anxiety with Technology

by John Edelson of Time4Learning

For many students, math produces feelings of dread and anxiety. In the classroom, kids fear being humiliated if they don’t know how to solve a math problem or come up with the wrong answer. They feel pressured by their teachers, peers, and time constraints. Using technology to learn math removes these barriers and helps students find their comfort zone. So, it makes sense to turn to technology as an educational tool, especially if your kids are having trouble.

It is common for students to have trouble or need extra practice before fully understanding a lesson, especially with math. Math lessons follow a progression, so if your kids don’t have a solid understanding of the basics, or if they don’t quite grasp a concept, they may have difficulty later. It’s important to try and identify trouble areas early, or your child could develop “math anxiety.”

The best way to eliminate math anxiety is to present the exercises in a non-threatening way. If you find that your children are feeling defeated before opening a math book, try turning to technology to help them conquer their math fears. Oftentimes, computers can open doors in a way that textbooks can’t. And since computers have endless patience, they promote a can-do attitude instead of resistance.

Technology brings the material to life, making use of sight and sound to create an interactive learning experience. Time4Learning math lessons are taught by engaging characters in colorful, fun activities. For example, 3rd grade students learn “Parts of a Set or a Whole” in the Fractions & Decimals chapter as Frank and his pizzeria employees guide them through “Frank’s Fraction Pizzeria.”

The entertaining voices and visuals bring math lessons to life, sparking students’ curiosity and imagination. So if your child is having trouble with math or any other subject in school, you might want to try a computer-based curriculum as an alternative to tutoring. Students can also learn math from some popular games. Back in the day, we learned basic math skills like arithmetic and probability from board games like Monopoly. Today, video games like Madden Football can expose kids to a number of basic math and measurement skills.

Of course, you should use your best judgment when it comes to choosing games for your kids. Time4Learning also offers 100 educational games to play on the Time4Learning playground. While students are having fun playing, they are also learning from games such as Tetris, Pacman, Air Hockey and more.

Whether you’re looking for an online math curriculum for homeschool or afterschool help, Time4Learning is a popular choice for parents. It was just voted to the Homeschool.com “Top 100 Educational Websites” list for the second year in a row because it combines the technology kids love with the curriculum they need in a way that is both effective and fun. The preschool-8th grade curriculum includes 1000+ animated lessons, printable worksheets, and graded activities for language arts and math (including algebra).

Help your kids develop a solid math foundation by using a technology-based curriculum like Time4Learning. You’ll be amazed to see their grades improve and the stress disappear. You might even hear that math is fun!

Opportunities to generate your side income HERE!

Untuk rujukan peribadi dan cuba terbitkan buah fikiran untuk praktis dalam topik yang lain. Thanks a lot to the author

4shared.com: muaturun, muatnaik, kongsi

img1: carian ke atas katakunci "4shared.com" tahun 2012 (as retrieved on 23 Nov. 2012)(Source: GoogleTrends)

4shared.com adalah laman web dimana kita boleh memuatnaik, berkongsi dan memuaturun fail-fail secara online. Laman web ini semakin popular di Malaysia dan kebanyakan masyarakat Malaysia menggunakan laman ini untuk memuat turun lagu-lagu. Tengok img1 di atas, orang Kuala Terengganu paling ramai membuat carian "4shared.com", diikuti Kuantan, Alor Setar dan lain-lain. 

 

Betapa aktifnya rakyat Malaysia memuat turun lagu-lagu menyebabkan laman webnya jadi begini agaknya:

 

 

 



Walau bagaimanapun, kita ada pilihan lain, anda semua boleh cuba wikiupload.com atau rapidshare.de

 

 

Wang kertas Tanah Melayu 1914

Wang kertas 5 dolar tahun 1914

Lada hitam Johor 1845-1885

Facebook dan Simbol Dajjal

Ada kaitan? bilangan figura pada facebook frontpage dengan simbol piramid pada warta kertas satu dollar US

BANYAKKAN SEDEKAH DAN BANYAKKAN DOA UNTUK PALESTIN

Akhirnya jumpa topik penting: Saintis Data

Akhirnya jumpa topik apa yang bagus untuk diketengahkan, Sains Data/ Data Science/ Data Scientist, ia dianggap terminologi yang baru dialaf ini. Ia sangat penting, hingga seorang Saintis Bioperubatan yang terkenal dalam bidang ini, Atul Butte mengganggap tidak perlunya ilmu daripada teori untuk menyelesaikan masalah. Maka suatu masa nanti, kita tak perlulah sangat bergantung sepenuhnya kepada buku teks, semua maklumat boleh diperolehi menerusi data-data internet/computer generated data. Kerjaya ini dianggap sangat baru, tetapi peranannya amat penting disyarikat-syarikat gergasi, penting untuk menentukan keputusan korporat sesuatu organisasi. Ini adalah peluang yang harus diambil/dipandang serius oleh generasi baru. Aku pun sedang bergelumang dalam bidang ini, dan sebahagian penulisan tesis aku dalam bidang ini.

 

Betul juga kata Atul Butte di dalam satu syarahan (TED Talks), betapa kita di dunia ini telah banyak menghasilkan sejumlah besar data (raw data) sehingga ber"terabyte", jadi data yang dihasilkan oleh ramainya penyelidik-penyelidik dunia yang antaranya daripada institusi penyelidikan dan pengajian tingga terkenal (Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford dan lain-lain) disia-siakan. Data yang banyak ini harus ditransformasikan kepada maklumat baru dan seterusnya kepada pengetahuan baru untuk kebaikan sejagat.

 

 

http://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century/ar/1

 

hari ini agak lembab

Hari ini aku agak lembab, susah betul hendak memulakan penulisan tesis. Bab eksperimen yang terakhir sedang dalam proses mengoreng ayat, sebelum menjengah ke bab-bab lain, "General Dicussion and Conclusion" dan "Literature Review" (LR). Bab terakhir aku mesti LR, baru senang tengok apa yang masih lompong, knowledge gap atau apa yang baru, itu strategi penulisan aku buat setelah melihat macam-macam strategi.

Sambil-sambil menyiapkan tesis, terfikir pula nak menulis topik-topik umum atau khusus yang mungkin berpotensi untuk diketengahkan, dibukukan. Tapi masalahnya, nak tulis pasal apa?. Aduh, keringnya idea. Kurang membaca ke aku ini. Fikir punya fikir untuk mencari topik "hot", aku cuba la tengok Yahoo Malaysia apa "trending keywords terkini, yang biasa orang "search". Keputusan:

 

Sumber: Yahoo Malaysia, 19-Nov.2012

 

Eerrmm, takkan aku nak tulis pasal AIM19, hihihi. Ataupun tentang Legoland?, Shila Amzah?. Errmm, betul ke pendekatan aku ini?. Tak mengapalah, aku teruskan "search", mungkin boleh jumpa di laman-laman berita ke?.

 

Wassalam

 

Domain bisnes

Mereka buat bisnes hanya jualbeli nama domain. Harga nama domain boleh cecah USD600,000.00!, tapi pasti ada lagi mahal daripada ini.

This is SCAM, Don't trust!

Janice Carter Janice.Carter@hilton.com	2:33 AM (6 hours ago)
to undisclosed recipients

You have a confidential message from the UN Foundation, you have been awarded a grant sum of $4,000,000.00 USD. For more details contact Mr. Barry Gibson (Executive Secretary) with this email:barry.gibson@rogers.com

Biofertiliser and oil palm

Microbes Environ. 2012;27(3):257-62. Epub 2012 Mar 23.

 

Inoculation of Bacillus sphaericus UPMB-10 to young oil palm and measurement of its uptake of fixed nitrogen using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique.

Zakry FAA, Shamsuddin ZH, Abdul Rahim K, Zawawi Zakaria Z, Abdul Rahim A.

Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia.

 

Abstract

There are increasing applications of diazotrophic rhizobacteria in the sustainable agriculture system. A field experiment on young immature oil palm was conducted to quantify the uptake of N derived from N₂ fixation by the diazotroph Bacillus sphaericus strain UPMB-10, using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution method. Eight months after ¹⁵N application, young immature oil palms that received 67% of standard N fertilizer application together with B. sphaericus inoculation had significantly lower ¹⁵N enrichment than uninoculated palms that received similar N fertilizers. The dilution of labeled N served as a marker for the occurrence of biological N₂ fixation. The proportion of N uptake that was derived from the atmosphere was estimated as 63% on the whole plant basis. The inoculation process increased the N and dry matter yields of the palm leaflets and rachis significantly. Field planting of young, immature oil palm in soil inoculated with B. sphaericus UPMB-10 might mitigate inorganic fertilizer-N application through supplementation by biological nitrogen fixation. This could be a new and important source of nitrogen biofertilizer in the early phase of oil palm cultivation in the field.