Apollo Group Donates Big To Brown

A recent blog post in California Watch entitled Why for profit colleges gave big to Brown reports that Apollo Group, the Arizona based parent company of the University of Phoenix, gave more to Brown than to any other state office seeker in the country because of the potential profits in California and fear of strict regulation under the new governor.  So now, basically, Brown owes Apollo Group a favor meaning that California is less likely to pass enhanced regulations safeguarding students from the sales tactics used by Apollo Group.

Quoted from the University Echo Online, is the following on an investigation of 15 for-profit universities:

• The United States Government Accountability Office Report said it investigated 15 for-profit universities to evaluate their practices and tuition rates.
• The GAO found that four universities pushed applicants to falsify documents and all 15 lied to or misled recruits.
• The report said violations ranged from financial affairs to improper advisement.
• The GAO reported that one school told an undercover applicant not to report $250,000 in savings to earn more financial aid.
• Another recruiter told an applicant that no one would ask for repayment on a student loan, reported the GAO.
• According to the report, advisors commonly shared exaggerated post-graduation career salaries with students, understated tuition to them and school officials reported false graduation rates to education authorities.
• Senator Tom Harkin, a democrat from Iowa, led the effort to investigate for-profit universities in a hearing committee to discuss his "Debt without a Diploma" report.

With California’s education system ranking in at 49 out of 50, Brown has ensured that not only will California students be educationally disadvantaged, but economically disadvantaged as well.  Gov. Brown is off to an excellent term he hasn’t even begun.

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Warning: America In Category 5 Alert!

I seem to have a recurring thought lately, that of "Whatever happened to the America that I used to live i in?"  That proud country full of vibrant friendly people, where you could honestly say "there is no place like home."  Today, however, I walk through the weathered streets and see nervous looks and rarely is there a smile on anyone’s face.  Coupled with a deteriorating look and feel to the landscape, how on earth in less than 20 years could this country go from the world super power to the brink of nothing?  There have only been  5 terms of presidencies!  We need a complete overhaul of Congress as special action groups have filtered out our middle class.

A report that first appeared five years ago in 2005 by the National Academies of Sciences, has reappeared this year entitled: Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Approaching Category 5.  America is not anywhere near ranking as a No. 1 country of the world, not even close.  And if my fellow Americans want to revive our country above third-world status to even become an "emerging market," then we have to work fast.  If not, be prepared for indentured servitude to the Chinese, if they’ll have us, or even Sub-Saharan Africa will look like paradise.

Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

Learning a foreign language should be mandatory in the school system. As an American during a European trip from Los Angeles to Paris and Frankfurt back to Los Angeles, it was amazing to see everyone from the flight attendants on Air France, the cashiers at Burger King, the sales clerks at the flea market, the street cleaners and even the Chinese in Chinatown-Paris speak in at least two, if not three languages.

Many may argue that for Europeans, the necessity of learning a foreign language is that there are several countries that each has their own language within the Union and commerce typically transcends borders. As such, it is beneficial for Europeans to know in the least the languages of the countries in which commerce is transacted (much unlike the United States where commerce is transacted primarily in English) or communication is only possible within the parameters of one’s own country, a relatively small geographic area. Americans in comparison have not had the necessity of learning a foreign language unless international travel or an extended visit to a foreign country is planned, until recent times.

Here in the United States, English is the language in which our laws are written and business is conducted primarily and used as the medium language for all people to converse. In major metropolitan areas throughout the country, however, practically every modern language is spoken. “English is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English” (United States).

Due in large part to globalization, learning a foreign language for all citizens of the world is now today a necessity. Also, many college preparatory benefits of learning a foreign language are admission into a university, and thereafter, increased marketability, job opportunities, intellectual growth and flexibility. With many business transactions occurring on the international playing field where corporate offices span the globe, being fluent in another language is advantageous to any employee of any company worldwide.

Another one of the benefits of learning a foreign language is that of education and empowering the mind. Upon learning a foreign language fluently, as our thoughts are language based and so is that of critical thinking, such knowledge truly helps to analyze things from a different perspective as one begins to think in that language. Additionally, learning a foreign language helps one understand his/her own language and provides them with better listening capabilities.

Finally, the socio-cultural benefits of learning a foreign language derives from the widening number of people one can speak with and relate to. As the nuances are developed for the foreign language and its use, a deep cultural understanding is developed of its native speakers. It also has a positive impact on one’s own intellectual growth.

REFERENCES

United States. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2010, from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U .S.

What The Research Shows. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2010, from American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages: http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages /index.cfm?pageid=3653

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[Article first printed at Helium.com: Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language]