Monday, March 23, 2020

Area of A Cone

Area of A Cone Cone is a geometric figure with a fixed vertex and a circular base. The curved surface area of the cone = * r * s. Here r is the radius and s is the length of the slant side. Slant side, s = (r2+h2). The height h of the cone from the vertex of the cone and the radius r of the circular base make a right angle. Example 1: What is the curved surface area of the cone which has the base radius r of 3 cm and height 4 cm? The base radius of the given cone is 3 cm, i.e. r = 3 cm. The height of the cone, h = 4 cm. The slant height of the cone, s = (r2 + h2). s = (32 + 42) = (9 + 16) = 5cm . Area of cone = * r *s This makes the solution = 3.14 * 3 * 5 = 47.1 cm2 Hence, curved surface area = 47.1 cm2 approximately. Example 2: What is the curved surface area of the cone which has the base radius r of 5 cm and height 12 cm? The base radius of the given cone is 5 cm, i.e. r = 5 cm. The height of the cone, h = 12 cm. The slant height of the cone, s = (r2 + h2). s = (52 + 122) = (25 + 144) = 13 cm . Area of cone = * r *s This makes the solution = 3.14 * 5 * 13 cm2 = 204.1 cm2 Hence, curved surface area = 204.1 cm2 approximately.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Your Personal Brand The Little Things Matter - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Your Personal Brand The Little Things Matter - Introvert Whisperer Your Personal Brand: The Little Things Matter Your personal brand is the value and experience others have of you based on your consistent behavior.   That personal brand can be a favorable one or negative one, depending on what your behavior is.   Your personal brand shapes your success both professionally as well as personally so it’s important to give it some thought. Your behavior includes even small things like whether or not you’re timely in returning texts, voicemails, and emails.   It can include whether or not you are usually late showing up to things and if you seem to perpetually have a whirling caldron of chaos surrounding you.   It’s not just about how well you execute things at a technical level or your sweet personality. Your ability to adequately manage life’s daily “administrivia” is one of those things that if you do well, are kind of a neutral background thing.   No one notices it and your other assets shine through.   That’s how you want to be experienced.   However, when you habitually fail in those personal management tasks, it will overshadow all of the positive assets you possess. It’s the little things that eat away at any trust people may have placed in you because you’ve demonstrated you can’t handle the little things; you probably can’t handle the big ones.   Even if you have an amazing personality and do things that people love, those same people will eventually give up on you if you are flaky.   It’s just not worth making the effort. Can you imagine not being worth other people’s effort to maintain a relationship or to support?   Harsh but it happens every day. So, if you know or suspect that you might have some of those behaviors, you have to change that today.   You won’t get traction anywhere in life or at work if you don’t. The little things matter. Go to top Personal Branding starts with how well you speak about YOU.  I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook â€" The Definitive Guide to Creating and Using an Elevator Speech.  In this guide, I give you simple to follow instructions for creating a “wardrobe” of ways to talk about you â€" to leave a lasting impression. Get your copy now! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Tips for High School Students to Start the New Year

Tips for High School Students to Start the New Year The school year is beginning and it can be easy to get overwhelmed with everything you have to doidentifying where your classes are located, organizing your folders and notebooks, and especially for juniors and seniors, thinking seriously about college. Here are some quick tips for high school students to start the new year off on the right foot. Set goals Having aspirations for the future is important attending college, having a future career, etc. However, it is also crucial to set realistic goals specifically for this school year. Do you need a certain grade point average to gain acceptance into your dream university, or perhaps need to take certain AP classes? You can also set goals for extracurricular activities, such as discovering an impressive internship or a volunteering opportunity. Write your goals down, be as specific as possible, and post them where you know you will see them every day. Determine the most effective way for you to take notes Note-taking is a valuable skill in both high school and college. As it turns out, there is more to taking class notes than you might think! Take the time to look for different note-taking strategies, such as using bullet points, writing in multiple colors, highlighting particular areas, using smartphone apps, etc. If you have not done so already, it would be highly encouraged to install Microsoft Office or another type of word processing software and see how it can enhance your notes. Here are three note-taking formats every student should try. Assess your study habits Everyone studies differently. Some students can easily focus on lengthy tasks in a solitary setting, while others flourish when working in groups. A new school year is the perfect time to evaluate and improve your study methods. If you found yourself distracted last year while studying, find a new study spot or eliminate the distractions around you. If you found yourself cramming the night before tests last year, make a point to set reminders for yourself to study earlier rather than later.Consider using a planner or calendar to organize important deadlines, as well as to manage large projects and assignments. These are some great tips onhow toavoid study distractions. Conquer procrastination If you are somebody who frequently reschedules tasks for later, you are not alone unfortunately, procrastination is a problem that plagues many students, but you can overcome it. There are several concrete methods to help ensure you do not procrastinate, so why not try out a few of them to start the new year? When facing a large and complicated task, like a term paper or college application essay, break it down into smaller and more manageable pieces, and use a to-do list to conquer them. If you find yourself procrastinating when faced with a minor task, ask yourself, why? Why exactly am I not doing this right now? Reward yourself when you finish work, rather than doing so before or in between the process. This can serve as excellent motivation. Here are a few of the best study habitsyou should have! As you prepare to start the new year in the most productive way possible, think about what particular grade you are entering and how that affects your goals. Freshmen and sophomores, for example, should typically be more focused on adjusting to the new aspects of high school classes and attaining high grades. Juniors and seniors, on the other hand, will likely be more focused on paving their way to college; this should include visiting campuses, navigating applications, and taking the SAT or ACT. While the path is different each year for high school students, the way theywalk it is similar. If you are able to get organized, move past procrastination, and develop strong study habits, the sky or rather, your dream college is the limit. Best of luck in school as you start the new year!

Surface Area of a Pyramid Tutors

Surface Area of a Pyramid Tutors A pyramid is a 3-dimensional geometric figure which has 4 triangles joining towards a single point known as the apex or the vertex of the pyramid. There are different types of pyramids depending on the type of base a pyramid has. For instance, a pyramid with a square base is known as square pyramid, a pyramid with a rectangular base is known as a rectangular pyramid etc. Total surface area of a pyramid can be calculated by adding all the areas of every face of the pyramid. Example 1: What is the surface area of a square pyramid which has a base length of 3m and a slant height of 5m? Given: base length, b= 3m Slant height of the pyramid, s = 5m Since it is a square pyramid, the base of the pyramid is a square. Surface area of a square pyramid = b2 + 2* b* s This gives: Surface area of the square pyramid, SA= (3)2 + (2 * 3 * 5) = 9+ 30= 39m2 Therefore, the surface area of the given square pyramid is 39m2 Example 2: What is the surface area of a rectangular pyramid which has a base length of 6m, base width of 4m and a slant height of 8m? Given: base length, l= 6m, base width, w = 4m Slant height of the pyramid, s = 8m Since it is a rectangular pyramid, the base of the pyramid is a rectangle. Surface area of the rectangular pyramid = (l* w) + (l* s) + (w* s) This gives: Surface area of the rectangular pyramid, SA= (6* 4) + (6* 8) + (4* 8) = 104m2 Therefore, the surface area of the given rectangular pyramid is 104m2

We want Schools for All!

We want ‘Schools for All’! “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” - Nelson Mandela. Last Friday (7th Feb) UNICEF launched its Day for Change, with the focus for 2014 on ‘Schools for All’. Across the world there are 57 million children who don’t get the chance to go to school. This figure is already enormous, but there are around 200 million more who are not receiving an education despite attending school. According to the latest report commissioned by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), “around 250 million children are not learning basic skills- even though half of them have spent at least four years at school.”[1] One of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals was to provide universal primary education by 2015; it is clearly unlikely that this goal will be reached. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova wrote: “education provides sustainability to progress against all development goals. Educate mothers, and you empower women and save children’s lives. Educate communities, and you transform societies and grow economies”.[2] Sadly, the list of barriers preventing universal education is vast. The nearest school might be too far away; many children need to stay at home earning money for their families; in war-torn zones attending school, or making the journey there, may be hazardous. Then there are the children in school but still not receiving a good education. Perhaps the class sizes are too big, or the school doesn’t have sufficient learning resources, or the teachers haven’t had sufficient training. This picture shows how lucky we are in the UK to have an education system that is free for all and generally easily accessible. Of course, it is nowhere near perfect - with huge educational inequality across society. In the least well-off families in the UK, where children are eligible for free school meals, nearly half (47%) achieve no A-C grade GCSEs. Only 2% go on to attend a Russell Group or equivalently elite university. Compare this to 48% of independent school pupils. Nearly half of the poorest pupils achieve no good GCSE grades at all; nearly half of the richest get into the best universities. Many of these privileged children will have received the benefits of private tutoring. For every student who pays for a tutor in London through Tutorfair, a disadvantaged child gets tutoring for free; we work with schools where high percentages of children are on free school meals, supporting the children identified as having the greatest need. While UNICEF strives to fulfil its commendable global ‘Schools for All’ goal, Tutorfair and many other organisations work to narrow our own education gap here in the UK. Image from  www.inewmedia.org  CC-by   [1]http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/2013/ Is cited in article here:  http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47034Cr=educationCr1=#.UvtMLPRdVPK [2] Ibid.

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Russian Oligarch - Private Tutoring

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Russian Oligarch BobbiM Mar 28, 2013 The Russian Oligarch Hustle Theres been a lot of interest lately in Russian Oligarchs because of the banking troubles in Cyprus, a small country in the Mediterranean. Apparently, Cyprus became a haven for many rich Russian Billionaires to stash their money. And, when the banks in Cyprus came upon some money trouble, it caused massive concern since Cyprus apparently holds a significant amount of wealth from European countries. So, not just Russian Oligarchs are affected, but European corporations as well. All of this interest in Cyprus, a tiny country of only 1 million people, got me interested in the Russian Oligarchs. What is an Oligarch? Who are these Russian Oligarchs. So, I did some research. And, it turns out, they have a lot to teach us about hustle, how to work super hard, and have it pay off in billions of dollars. While we may not all turn out to be Russian Oligarchs in the end, we can learn a lot from how theyve conducted business. Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky came to the business world of Russia by an odd route. He was a software engineer. He was born and raised in Moscow and received a high quality education in electronics and computer science at an institution that was involved in the Soviet space program. Berezovsky went on to graduate school at Moscow State University where he earned the equivalent of an American Ph.D. in the 1970s and finally a Russian Ph.D. which is more advanced than an American Ph.D. in 1983 at the age of 37. He worked for twenty five years at the Soviet Academy of Science in the field of decision-making and in the field of computer automation of industry. He decided to enter the business world. At the Academy of Science he had worked with the Avtovaz, an enterprise the Soviet government had set up to produce automobiles for the mass Soviet market. The Soviet government contracted for the Italian automaker Fiat to build a large scale auto plant 700 miles east of Moscow. The city in which the plant was located was named Togliatti after the head of the Italian Communist Party. The plant was not a technical triumph. It was vastly overstaffed and the quality of the product was low. The labor productivity was approximately one thirtieth of labor productivity in the American and Japanese automobile industries. Berezovsky Hustle What We can Learn Berezovsky proposed to Avtovaz that he provide help to the enterprise for automation and computer control of operations. The structure of the arrangement was that Berezovsky would set up a company in Switzerland that would create a joint venture with Avtovaz. This would gain the benefit of the Soviet government program set up to encourage  foreign  investment in the Soviet economy. One special feature of a joint venture is the foreign partner could take some profits of the  enterprise  out of the country. Once the legal structure for the foreign partner in Italy, Logovaz, was set up Berezovsky became involved in operating a car dealership to sell the Ladas produced by Avtovaz. Car dealerships extremely profitable and were a favorite target of organized gangs demanding protection money. Berezovsky arranged his own protection from the Chechens and tried to keep out the other gangs demanding a shakedown. The Russian gangs were not easily discouraged. Gang warfare raged. Berezovsky left the country. When he returned he was the target of more than one assassination attempt. The most serious one involved a car bomb. Berezovsky was riding in his chauffeur-driven Mercedes with his bodyguard. As his vehicle passed a parked car a bomb in that car was detonated. The chauffeurs head was blown off, the bodyguard was severely injured and Berezovsky was seriously burned. There was other assaults on Logovaz operations, but when the leader of the Russian gangs was killed by a car bomb the assaults stopped. The car dealerships were extremely profitable, in part, because of a process Berezovsky called the privatization of the profit of a state enterprise. Avtovaz produced Ladas at an average cost of about $4700 but sold them to  auto dealers  at $3500 per car. The dealers then sold the cars for $7000 each. The  under pricing  of the cars by Avtovaz came as a result of the control of its management. Thus Berezovsky moved the potential profit of the state enterprise out of the enterprise and into the private enterprise of the dealerships. Since such a money-losing enterprise would not have much market value it would be cheap to buy ownership. This is the scenario proposed by Berezovsky. So, he bought really low, and sold really high. He focused on margin and set up the business to maximize his profits. Simple, but it shows hustle. Vladamir Gusinky In his twenties during the 1970s Vladimir Gusinsky started his business career as a cab driver, one without official sanction and thus called a gypsy-cap. He also engaged in black market trading. But by the 1980s he developed some close ties in the Communist Party. He organized events for the Communist Youth League. Gusinsky also developed a working relationship with Yuri Luzhkov, the mayor of Moscow. The City of Moscow was not just a city government. It owned an controlled an extensive system of economic enterprises. Under Luzhkov these enterprises functioned efficiently and profitably. In 1989 or shortly thereafter Gusinsky created a bank called Most Bank, from the Russian work for bridge. As result of the connection with Luzhkov, Gusinskys Most Bank was a very important institution in the Moscow economy and one of the biggest conglomerates in Russia. To protect his interest Gusinsky created a security division employing about 1000 people, many of them formerly employed by the KBG. Once Gusinsky had created the basis for his financial success he began to create a media empire. In 1994 he had a newspaper, a weekly news magazine, a television guide magazine, a radio news station and the crown jewel of an independent television network. Learning from Gusinky Gusinky teaches us the importance of networking. Who you know really matters and learning to work with others is key to success. Mikhail Khodorkovsky As a child Mikhail Khodorkovsky had humble desires and wanted to be a factory director when he grew up. Factory directors were probably the most powerful figures in the lives of ordinary Russians. But being a factory director was not just an idle dream of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He pursued his career goal rather diligently. He showed focus by studying engineering in Moscow and simultaneously was active in the Communist Youth League, called the Kommosol, to the point of being deputy head of the Kommosol governing committee for his educational institute. He learned the protocols of dealing with Communist Party functionaries and he developed connections in the Party organizations. Lesson 1 from Khodorkovsky:  He had a goal and he set a course to obtain the goal. Despite his careful preparation Mikhail Khodorkovsky was denied the opportunity to work toward a directorship in the Soviet defense industry. He felt it was because of the Jewish origins of his family. He then decided to enter the private sector. His enterprise was named the Center for the Scientific-Technical Creativity of Young People, which was soon abbreviated to MENATEP. It first existed as a cooperative, the only officially sanctioned form of private enterprise, but later became a bank. Like many other entrepreneurs Mikhail Khodorkovsky sought the quick, high profits that could be gained by importing and reselling computers.  MENATEP  also engaged in various currency exchange transactions. Lesson 2 from Khodorkovsky:  When met with adversity, bounce back quickly. Although some in the Communist Party blocked his road to becoming a factory director Mikhail Khodorkovsky was on good terms with many Communist Party officials and went into business with their approval. He was appointed as an economic adviser to the prime minister of the Russian Federation in 1990, in the days before the collapse of the Soviet Union. This was a prestigious position and one that gave him important contacts. Lesson 3 from Khodorkovsky:  Make important contacts and nurture relationships. Alexander Smolensky Alexander Smolensky grew up poor and didnt come from normal Russian roots. His mothers father was an Austrian Jew who fled Vienna for political refuge in Moscow. But Stalinist Russia did not treat such political refugees as true comrades or true Russian brothers. Because of his ethnic and religious lineage, his mother was scared that they would receive tremendous persecution. As a consequence, she was right. So Alexander Smolenskys mother, who had been born in Austria although she was raised in Moscow, was excluded from most jobs and opportunities for training. Life was very hard for the family especially since Alexander Smolenskys father divorced his mother and left her and their children to survive on their own. Alexander Smolensky developed a lifelong resentment and defiance of the system. He seemed constitutionally incapable of cooperating with the system. When he applied for his official identification document, the Russian version of the American Social Security Card that the Russians call the internal passport, he could have listened his nationality as Russian on the basis of the nationality of his father but he chose instead to designate himself as Austrian on the basis of that of his mother. This was a clear act of  defiance and by doing so he excluded himself  out of any career other than as an entrepreneur. But entrepreneurship in the Soviet Union was illegal and Smolensky lived a hard life. Lesson 1 from Smolensky: Make you decisions and stick to them, despite the consequences. He then served a two year service in the Soviet Army in Tiblis, Georgia. He fought the system in the army but while doing so he and a friend used their access to the army newspapers printing facilities to start an underground business in printing business cards. The business was not much but it enabled them to learn type-setting and the crafts involving in printing. Lesson 2 from Smolensky: Make good friends and use ingenuity to create value. After the army, Smolensky continued in the printing trade. He found a job as a supervisor of the printing department of an industrial ministry. He had to work two jobs to survive and was on the lookout for ways to make money. He realized that in the days of the Soviet suppression of unsanctioned literature was an opportunity that perhaps had a market. People were publishing writings by the laborious process of typing documents a few copies at a time, one original and as many carbon copies as the typewriter could produce. In addition to being tedious this was dangerous but people were willing to do it. Access to a printing press relieved the underground writers having to type and retype works. Smolensky printed Bibles among other things. Bibles were not technically subversive material but it was a criminal offense to use State facilities for private enterprises as Smolensky was doing. Lesson 3 from Smolensky: Find a better way to do something, and find a market that will pay you. During this time Smolensky developed and refined his skills at finding and acquiring materials. In the socialist economies shortages are chronic and there is no problem selling production but gathering the raw materials is the limiting factor. So that while the salesman is the key figure in western businesses it is the raw material acquirer, the procurer, in the socialist economies that is the key figure. Lesson 4 from Smolensky: Understand the supply chain well, and optimize it. Smolenskys illegal printing operation was reported to the authorities and he was arrested. He was sentenced to two years of work in a construction crew outside of Moscow and prohibited for three years of having access to money and valuable materials. His career as a printer was effectively ended, but his introduction to the construction field was a valuable substitute. After his sentence was served Smolensky continued in construction. His ability to get things done earned him an acceptance as a valuable, effective construction operator. In part, his effectiveness in construction depended upon his skills in acquiring the required materials for construction. Although authorities recognized that Smolensky was a rebel against the system they realized that his organizational skills were valuable for them to have access to. Later, the Russian Government made into law that individual labor activity was permissible. This opened the flood gates and made entrepreneurship accepted and allowed. It was now officially permitted for people to set up stands on the street to sell goods. It was not a free market revolution but it was a step in the right direction. It would be alright for a group of people to engage in enterprise if they constituted a cooperative. The drafters of the 1988 Law on Cooperatives did not place as many restrictions on the nature of the permitted cooperative enterprises as might be expected. In particular the Law allowed for the creation of financial services cooperatives. Smolensky built a cooperative that procured construction supplies, reduced lead times, and obtained better pricing structure. Smolenskys cooperative eventually overtake the current government-run program of materials procurement. Smolensky effectively wiped out a competitor the government. From there the cooperative went into the business of building such things as country houses, dachas. Business was good. Lesson 5 from Smolensky: Find a quicker and cheaper way to do something, and money will follow. He eventually created a bank and years and billions later, hes a famous Russian Oligarch. Vladimir Potanin Vlaminir Potanin was fortunate to be born into the Russian  hierarchy. In this respect, he didnt show hustle he was handed success. But, later he did show some courage and initiative.  Vladimir Potanin started two banks, the Onexim Bank and the MFK. Many of the state enterprises transferred their account to these two banks which became the third and fourth largest banks in Russia. In 1995 Potanin saw an opportunity. The Russian Government badly needed funds. So, with support from other oligarchs, he proposed a loans for shares plan to the Council of Ministers of the Russian Government. This plan traded ownership interest in unprivatized state industries in exchange for loans. The Russian Government welcomed the plan because they badly needed cash money. Learning from Oligarch Potanin Get super lucky and be born into a powerful and rich family. Vladimir Vinogradov Toward the end of the Soviet era Vladimir Vinogradov, then an employee of a state bank, established in 1988 a commercial bank, Inkombank. Vinogradov and his friends bootstrapped a bank operating on a shoe string until they secured a number of reputable investors. Among these investors were Sokol (the association of aircraft manufacturers), Transneft (a gas pipeline operator) and the Plekhanov Institute. These investors gave Inkombank enough credibility to apply for credit from the Central Bank of the Soviet Union. Against all odds, Inkombank did obtain 10 million rubles in credit. Lesson 1 from Vinogradov: Sell the product first, then create it. True Entrepreneurship. Over a ten-year period Inkombank grew in deposits and acquisitions. By the time of the financial debacle of Russian in August of 1998 Inkombank had become the second largest private bank in Russia in terms of private deposits and third largest in terms of assets. It played a significant role in financing Russias foreign trade. Under Vinogradovs direction Inkombank engaged in some high flying financial transactions. Inkombank acquired financial control of some of the businesses that made investments in it, including Sokol in aircraft manufacturing, Transneft, the gas pipeline operator, and Magnitagorsk Steel. Lesson 2 from Vinogradov: Acquire cash rich business, and then grow them. Mikhail Friedman Mikhail Friedman came from the western  Ukrainian  city of Lvov, a formerly Polish city acquired by Soviet troops in the partition of Poland by Stalin and Hitler in 1939. Mikhail Friedman came from a Jewish family, as did four of the six other oligarchs. Mikhail Friedman enter a Moscow institution of higher learning in Moscow. In the 1980s, the declining years of the Communist system, the necessities of life were available without much effort. The Theater Mafia This period of a low level of responsibility combined with the assurance of the necessities for survival is one that some look back on nostalgically. While the luxuries of life were unavailable there was the leisure to read and discuss literature and the arts. In the Soviet system there was support for  theater   dance and so forth, but the tickets were distributed on a political basis rather than through the market. People who wanted tickets had to have contact with someone who could obtain them or who could wait in line to acquire them from the official sources. Some students were making money by acquiring tickets and reselling them or waiting in line for other people. The students engaged in this black market ticket business were known as the  Theater  Mafia. Mikhail Friedman saw the opportunity to systematize these processes. He made the black market ticket operations into a real business. Lesson 1 from Friedman: Find an informal lucrative workaround and systematize it and profit from it. He not only acquired valuable business experience but he made business partners that joined with him in forming the Alpha Group, a conglomerate dealing in oil, finance, and industrial goods trading. He also learned to payoff the political establishment to get the things he wanted. The Alfa (Alpha) Group was not formed immediately. Instead Mikhail Friedman was involved in small business ventures in the form of cooperatives. Cooperatives were permitted under Gorbachevs perestroika policy. One of the first major successes was in providing window washing services for state companies. No one had thought to create such a business before. From this success Friedman and his associates moved into importing and exporting. It was very profitable to export oil since the purchase price of oil in the Soviet Union was far below the international price. It was also very lucrative to import computers. Lesson 2 from Friedman: Expand your horizon by finding other adjacent and lucrative opportunities. Dmitry Rybolovlev Rybolovlev began his career in the medical industry. He and his dad developed some magnetic gizmo that apparently did well. It well, but instead of remaining in that field, he chose to move to Moscow and learn the art of stock trading. This was perfect timing because he was the first person to earn a license to trade. He opened a financial services firm, raised money, traded, used his profits to buy up other companies, and now hes a Russia oligarch. He eventually got into the Potash business, which is a form of agriculture. I have no idea what Potash is, but it made him billions of dollars. I guess Potash is a form of salt used in most fertilizers. Who knew? Anyways, pretty amazing and shows that money can be made from areas most people didnt even know existed. Roman Abramovich Abramovich is known for his ownership in the Chelsea Football Club, which is one of the best soccer teams in Europe. His story is fascinating because it shows true hustle. His parents both died before he was 4 years old. He began in entrepreneurship by first selling gasoline to other soldiers while he was serving in the Russian army. Later, he got into the smuggling business, bringing in goods from elsewhere and selling them in Moscow for a huge profit. He operated like this for a while until the privatization of Russian government assets. At this time, Abramovich was able to legitimize his smuggling business. So, he opened a factory to build plastic toys and virtually owned the plastics toy category in Russia. He used his wealth to invest in other companies. And now, hes a massive billionaire, but he started out poorer than some of us can imagine. Oleg Deripaska Deripaska is apparently worth $14 Billion Dollars. Thats a lot of money. He runs a company called Basic Element, which is a holding company that has businesses in energy, manufacturing, financial services, agriculture, and construction. He started from humble roots as a small metals trader. Over time, he had accumulated ownership of 20% stake in a Siberian aluminum factory. Thats where he got his start; from there, he moved into adjacent businesses, but with the same gusto and hustle as when he first started in business. Mikhail Prokhorov Prokhorov owns the Brooklyn Nets, among other things. He made his billions by taking advantage of the unregulated privatization of Soviet assets, such as nickel and palladium mining, as well as in acquiring and running smelting companies. He then later went onto Banking, where he made the rest of his billions. Vitaly Malkin Malkin made his fortunes in banking. He and his business partner founded Rossisskii Kredit, which later became the third largest bank in Russia. Malkin is one of the top 30 wealthiest people in the world. He was a Russian senator, but recently resigned from the Russian senate.

A Parents Guide to the 11 Plus Exam

A Parent’s Guide to the 11 Plus Exam The 11 Plus (or 11+) examif your child is approaching or in Year 4 or 5 of primary school, you are likely familiar with this grammar school staple. If you'd like your child to attend grammar school or certain independent schools in England, note these facts about the important exam. What is the 11 Plus exam? The 11 Plus is an exam that is designed to identify the most academically able students for grammar school admittance. It consists of four general areas (English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning), but the exact configuration differs throughout the country. Two exam boards provide the 11 Plus: GL Assessment and CEM. Depending on your intended grammar school, your child will take one or the other. Your child may also need to take additional tests set by the school. Students who do well and who are offered a place in grammar school begin at their new school in Year 7. Once you find out which test your student will take, determine which subjects are assessed, as they differ from CEM to the GL Assessment. Who takes the 11 Plus exam? The 11 Plus exam is for students in their last year of primary school. It is not a compulsory exam for all grammar school students. While the name of the exam is derived from the age at which students will enter grammar school, they will usually be 10 years old when they take it. Be aware that in some areas, students will automatically be entered for the 11 Plus, so if you'd like to opt out, you'll have to do that yourself. When will my child take the 11 Plus exam? Students will generally take the 11 Plus at the beginning of Year 6. What is the timeline for ideal 11 Plus preparation? Most families will decide in Year 4 if grammar school is an option. In Year 4, you can begin to introduce exam skills like taking a timed test and further develop core subject knowledge. As Year 5 begins, go on grammar school visits with your child to gauge what you and your child are looking for. This is when you'll also want to create a study plan and enlist any necessary additional resources. How can my child best prepare for the 11 Plus exam? In order to create the most effective preparatory plan, first determine which version of the 11 Plus your child will take. Verify this with your specific schools. Familiarise yourself and your child with the content, structure, and length of the exam. Next, gauge your child's strengths and weaknesses, and be certain to practice under test-like conditions. As with many exams, you may wish to consider an 11 Plus tutor, who can help you maximise your child's performance on this test and provide guidance as you navigate the complex grammar school admittance process. Aside from the more targeted strategies referenced above, you can also encourage your child to read widely and to employ the use of vocabulary in daily conversations.

The Gold Medal Guide to 30 Resources for Advanced Language Lessons

The Gold Medal Guide to 30 Resources for Advanced Language Lessons The Gold Medal Guide to 30 Resources for Advanced Language Lessons The first real hurdles of taking on the language challenge are behind you.But the finish line still lies aheadâ€"tantalizingly in sight.Trouble is, you might be running out of steam after leaping over so many hurdles to get this far.Even if youre doing okay, you might need a little coaching to reach your goals and come out a multilingual winner.But theres something missing, isnt there?You want to advance.Master the language.Speak like a native.Excellent goals. And really, which language learner doesnt want to accomplish all of that?Now, the only trick is that theres no one way to move forward.Language learning is one of those seek-and-find adventures. Here well help you seek out the right learning methodâ€"or a combination of a fewâ€"and move forward until you get your desired result. Is Now the Time for Advanced Lessons?Youre pretty sure that youve passed the intermediate level and have a solid grasp on grammar. All good.If you want to know just where on the fluency scale you land , we’ve got you covered. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages  (CEFRL) is a guide to gauge where you place with regard to language learning. It will tell you when is the best time to consider advanced coursework.So youve checked out where you stand, and are ready to move on?Excellent news! Lets get you up to an advanced level and beyond with your choice of language lessons.The Gold Medal Guide to 30 Resources for Advanced Language LessonsWhat to Expect from Advanced Language LessonsAt this point, there are some fairly hardcore standards.Expect a high level of proficiency to be required in all activities, including communication and coursework. If you struggle a bit at first, thats fine. Don’t give up. Accept the challenge and youll see results.All your coursework will be in the target language. Shelve your native language at the door, because it wont be spoken in these courses!Basically the same tools you used to achieve proficiency to the advanced level are necessary to bring it higher. So dig in and intensify whats already working for you.Advice, Tools and Strategies for Advanced Language LessonsHere are a few tips to help you get started.Practical things, like  browsing the internet  in your target language, advance learning at a rapid rate.Record yourself  speaking. Then, compare your pronunciation and intonation to native speakers. Adjust accordingly, record again and compare. There isnt a deadline on learning (unless you actually have a deadline!) so take the time to perfect your speech.Keep a vocabulary journal to accumulate new words. It doesnt need to be fancy, a simple notebook will do. One of the best ways to advance a language learning endeavor is to increase the number of words available for use. The more you know, the more you can speak, read and understand. So, concentrate on filling that journal.To get you started, here are some advanced vocabulary lists:To bump it up in French, try this flashcard deck on Quizlet. Flashc ards are always a big help!Zip toward your speaking dreams in Spanish  with this advanced vocabulary list on Memrise.You’ll be conversing like a native in German if you integrate these advanced vocabulary words from the Cram site to your learning adventure.Japanese is your target language? Gain proficiency using this advanced vocabulary list on Memrise.Theres a Chinese vocabulary list  here on Games2LearnChinese  list thats  outstanding, and will certainly help fill your word journal.Why not pop in a foreign language film on DVD? Maybe search Netflix for a comedy? Chilling with good movies is an excellent way to bring advanced language learning into everyday life.Turn off the subtitles and make your brain work. Films in your target language force acquisition of conversational skills, as those let-me-think-about-that moments get your brain working overtime. And that can be missing from other types of study. Not to mention, theyre entertaining!Online radio  is another method for bri nging language into your homeâ€"and your mind. Try searching this collection of online radio in foreign languages from Omniglot. The content will bring a bit of culture into your learning adventure. Broadcasts will be current, so youll hear relevant topics delivered in authentic voices.These tips really do help facilitate advanced language learning. I know from personal experience, because Ive used every single one!Moving from proficient to fluent in Italian was not an overnight endeavor. I hit a plateau just past the intermediate stage, and knew Id have to shake things up to get back on track.I used flashcards, movies, music and vocabulary lists. The emphasis on conversationally utilizing the language at home made the advanced lessons sink in more readily.Writing and speaking can be an indication of how well we know a language, so focus on both. Allocate time each day to work on these areas and youll find improvement with less-than-brain-breaking difficulty.So really, dont discount the no-fail methods that got you to the point youre at now. They brought you this far and, if amped up, theyll carry you further.Looking for Local Advanced Language Lessons? Explore:Many cities have classes. With such diverse populations, its just logical that metropolitan areas encourage language learning.There are couple of noteworthy places to study if youre adaptable to changing locations.AbroadI admit, the idea of studying a languageâ€"any language!â€"in a foreign country  is a dream come true. This can also be quite realistic. LSI Paris offers courses in a number of foreign languages. If you take a course through IES Abroad Paris, there are summer courses available, so when youre not working you can stroll the cobblestone streets or visit the Louvre. Tres chic!Many major cities in Europe and the world at large have their own language institutes, devoted to teaching numerous languages. Well introduce you to some institutes in American cities below, but you can rest assured tha t any mid-sized city will have some options available to you. Just run a quick search online!BostonBoston, steeped in rich historical allure, is also home to great advanced language learning resources. CBS Boston has compiled a nice list of top-notch language schools in the area.Los AngelesLos Angeles  has great programs for language learning, like the Beverly Hills Lingual Institute. And who knows? While youre there studying, you might run into a foreign film star or twoâ€"a perfect moment to strut your language skills.Additionally, many universities and libraries offer courses in all levels of language learning. The views are spectacular and the campus is beautifulâ€"UCLA offers advanced language courses that will take your skill to a higher level.ChicagoSummer learning programs in the Windy City at the University of Chicago  cover several languages. Theyre worth checking out if youre nearby or planning a move!New YorkIn the Big Apple? New York University  has top-notch programs, and CBS New York can help you identify more options in the area.Resources for Finding Advanced Language LessonsThere are tons of resources for advanced language lessons online. A few clicks of your mouse, and youre in business!French Need online French help? Try the site French-Exam as well as French By French. Both offer outstanding resources targeted to more advanced and nearly-fluent language learners.Spanish Online materials for studying Spanish are extensive, even at the advanced level. Practical Spanish  is worth checking out. Lengalias Spanish course even offers a placement test to determine your correct level of study before you get started.The Study Spanish  site is filled with resources, including a word-of-the-day link (think vocabulary building and that word journal!), podcasts and free tutorials.German German study help is readily available online. Free German lessons keep the learning ball rolling with ActiLingua Academy. Utilizing the advanced-level worksheets on deut schdrang.com  is  a clever tip for facilitating study, and they’re not available everywhere so this is an interesting find. And if you need to concentrate heavily on grammar, there are some outstanding resources for German learning on  free-german-lessons-online.com.Japanese Searching for advanced Japanese learning online? This  Ninja guide to Japanese  looks very comprehensive, is a minimal investment and seems designed to hold any learners attention.Chinese Chinese language learners will get advanced help from Chinese Pod. The site is interesting and materials are easily accessed.Udemy is an online resource that offers all levels of Chinese learning, including advanced lessons. (Udemy is worth checking out for other languages as well, and is a great way to find affordable video courses for specific language subjects.)If the language youre studying isnt listed already, dont despair! There are plenty of free advanced learning materials online for a variety of languages! Try Open C ulture, Duolingo, BBC Languages  or the Foreign Services Institute  for an extensive variety of advanced language lessons.Youve Got This!Acing advanced language lessons is in your wheelhouse if you follow the tips, find a suitable course and apply yourself.Nail one languageâ€"then begin the next! And One More ThingAdvanced learners love learning languages with FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that real people speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instan tly view definitions.FluentU Interactive TranscriptsYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.