Via: Almost Deluxe
Usain Bolt emerged from his crashed BMW M3 this afternoon uninjured with nothing more than scratches from thorn bushes to show for his harrowing ordeal. Bolt along with an un-named female companion were taken away to a nearby hospital in Spanish Town.
The car was given to him by sponsors Puma following his heroic performances in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. It was raining at the time of incident, whether or not the world record holder was speeding has not been confirmed.
The Times Online reported that Bolt had attended a specialist BMW driving school at the Nürburgring race circuit in Germany last year to learn how to handle his new high-performance car. On this evidence a refresher course would appear to be in order.
Images via: Almost Deluxe
Via: Matador Abroad
There's one place on the planet that I've always wanted to travel to - Japan. No other place has captured my imagination like the land of the rising sun. From the ancient temples and traditions, to the cutting-edge electronics and the fashion-obsessed young people in harajuku. I have got to go there!
Abram Plaut has put together a portfolio of photographs that document daily life in Tokyo–from the mundane to the just plain bizarre. The photos are presented together in this video, which represent his five years in Japan…in three minutes
5 Years in Japan in 3 Minutes from Abram Plaut on Vimeo.
Abram Plaut, was raised in San Francisco, but has called Japan home for the past five years.
Visit Abram Plauts Blog: Yo! Japan.
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Excerpt Courtesy of BBC News
A gunman who hijacked a passenger plane in Montego Bay, Jamaica, has surrendered after police and soldiers boarded the jet, say officials.
Six crew members held hostage by the man were released unharmed.
More than 150 passengers were on board when the man forced his way onto the Canada-bound plane demanding passage to Cuba, but were released within hours.
The hijacker, believed to be a 20-year-old local man, was described by the authorities as "troubled".
Jamaican Information Minister Daryl Vaz told the BBC the incident had ended "without any injuries or harm".
He said the authorities had been "getting nowhere with the negotiations" with the hijacker.
"Police and military went on the plane and captured him," he said.
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding flew in to Montego Bay and offered support to the passengers.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, currently in Jamaica on a one-day visit following the recent Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, telephoned Mr Golding to congratulate him "for the successful resolution", his spokesman said.
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In today’s world there could not be any more emphasis on the failing economy and the increasing rate of job losses. If you have recently graduated or are a current student, you may be feeling the pinch more than anyone, but if everyone is in your shoes how is it possible to get ahead?
Well, you have a degree, congrats! So do thousands of other applicants across Canada.
And chances are, some of them will want the same job as you. Once you have your resumé and your interview skills down, what else is there, right? Wrong. There are a number of ways you can set yourself apart to guarantee you get the job, rather than that guy who never stops talking in your history tutorial, or that girl who tried to cheat off your test in psych.
Right now you need that extra edge to separate you from the pack, and increase your desirability with employers. Here are some things you may not have considered that will give you that leg–up on the competition.
1. Learn a second language
If you ever considered learning another language now is the time to do it. Being bilingual opens the door to numerous opportunities, including many entry-level government jobs. Several community colleges offer French courses at a very reasonable price. If you are interested in various positions working with immigrants or visitors to Canada, an ability to translate words can translate into cash.
2. Acquire a technical skill
At this point, knowledge of Microsoft Word is pretty much a given, but there is more to computers than word processing, search engines and email. Some businesses are interested in employees with experience in HTML coding, desktop publishing, and spreadsheet software. If you can post a company’s information online, as well as track sales quickly and easily, you will need less training and guidance. If you have the ability to work without supervision, you will appear more confident, and moving up in the company can become effortless.
3. Volunteer in your field
Experience pays, whether or not it puts money in your pocket. Taking on a volunteer placement or unpaid internship is guaranteed to give you more than good feelings and a sense of accomplishment. If you already know the inner workings of a company, chances are you would be the first in line for an opening as opposed to new applicants.
4. Show Drive and Passion
If you go into an interview with enthusiasm and curiosity, the employer will be more likely to hire you. Research the company beforehand, ask questions, and act confident. While drive is not a skill you can necessarily acquire, it is one you can strive for.
Not everyone that graduates will be working in their field within the next six months, but hopefully with a little push you can get that much closer to making that connection, and scoring your dream job.
Published: Sunday April 19, 2009
Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner Writer
ALTHOUGH MOST of the University of the West Indies' (UWI) recent graduates are employed, more than half have accepted jobs that require fewer qualifications, a study conducted by the university has found.
In addition, many of the graduates are settling for emoluments that, at least one human resource analyst believes, are less than what a university graduate should be receiving.
90 per cent found jobs
The survey was conducted this year among 2,464 graduates who left the institution in 2007. The findings indicate that 90 per cent of the graduates found employment after graduation, and 4.6 per cent proceeded to postgraduate studies. However, the study does not clearly indicate the length of time the graduates took to find a job, or whether a portion of the graduates had already been employed prior to obtaining an undergraduate degree.
The civil service absorbed most of the graduates, accounting for about 60 per cent of all those employed (37 per cent in central government/ statutory authorities and 23 per cent in public-sector institutions), while the private sector employed 23 per cent. Seven per cent were engaged by other entities.
"Interestingly, 65 per cent of the graduates are employed in three areas of critical importance to the country's development: education, health care and finance/banking," the UWI study noted.
But education analyst, Dr Ralph Thompson, questions the quality of the employment many of the graduates are finding, given that many of the jobs found do not require the candidates to have a first degree.
"The assumption, to me, is that these are low-paying jobs," Thompson comments. "That would mean, of the total cohort, (some of those) who got employment didn't really need to have a bachelor's degree. A good secondary education would have been perfectly OK for what they are doing," he argues.
Low salary
The study identifies that 61 per cent of the UWI graduates are earning $900,000 or more per year. According to Thompson, a veteran business executive, a salary below $1 million per annum is very low for a first-degree holder. "I have chief clerks and assistants who are making more than that! I would expect that anybody with a reasonable degree from the university should expect to start at at least $1.5 million per year," he tells The Sunday Gleaner.
Some graduates are earning as little as $16,000 per month, while others earn as high as $380,000 per month, the survey discloses.
Thompson believes that while the tertiary-education sector has been producing some excellent graduates, it appears the bulk are mediocre. Many do not get a good job in the private sector, he argues, where there is a greater demand for quality and, therefore, end up in the public sector. In this regard, he advocates the diversion of the 80 per cent subsidy of the tuition some tertiary students receive to the early childhood sector.
Declares Thompson: "We have been going for quantity rather than quality!"
Management consultant Robert Wynter says while the results of the study are nothing for the UWI to be proud of, the findings speak less of the quality of graduates and more about the narrow opportunities available in the labour market.
"It is saying that the people leaving university are taking the jobs of high-school graduates, which is pushing high-school graduates out of jobs," he says.
Wynter notes that the saturation of sectors such as education points to the very constricted prospects for graduates within the labour market.
"Historically, it has been shown that people go into teaching when they can't find another job," Wynter says.
Entrepreneurship focus
He, however, raises concern over the university's apparent lack of focus on entrepreneurship, which could help counter many of the problems in the labour market. Only a mere one per cent of graduates were self-employed, the study showed.
"It speaks to the difference between the UWI and UTech (University of Technology), which has been pushing entrepreneurship for a very long time," Wynter argues.
However, the UWI discloses in the study that it has now developed an entrepreneurship degree to prepare students to take on the challenge of operating their own enterprises.
At a Gleaner Editors' Forum last week, Merrit Henry, UWI student services manager with responsibility for the Placement and Career Services Unit, said the institution regularly conducted seminars with special focus on entrepreneurship. She pointed out that at the UWI's career expo this year, there were at least 10 booths featuring young entrepreneurs who were currently students at the university.
Mean monthly salary of graduates by faculties
Humanities and Education $98,181
Pure and Applied Sciences $90,700
Social Sciences $87,951
Medical Sciences $79, 480
Percentage of graduates by faculty
Social Sciences 38
Humanities and Education 35
Medical Sciences 13
Pure and Applied Sciences 13
N.B. Males (21 per cent of graduates) had a higher mean salary ($98,194) than females ($89,758).
Source: UWI tracer study 2009
gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com
Here's a Hi-Def sneak peek at the new Transformers flick. Mad Ting!
*Exclusive* Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Footage from Bay Films/Michael Bay Dot Com on Vimeo.
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Via: Jamaica Gleaner News
Published: Wednesday | April 8, 2009
THE GOVERNMENT'S grant to the University of the West Indies (UWI) from the national budget is set to decrease. At the same time, more funds should be flowing to the University of Technology (UTech) if Parliament's Standing Finance Committee approves the proposed provisions in the Estimates of Expenditure.
Figures contained in the proposed national Budget indicate that the Government's recurrent expenditure grant to the UWI has been reduced from $7.59 billion last year to $6.9 billion this year.
The amount allocated for UTech has been proposed to increase from $1.6 billion to $1.9 billion.
Meanwhile, the Government has barely increased boarding grants to the UWI. Some $29.8 million was allocated for this purpose last year and the Government is intending $30.4 million this year.
The Ministry of Education was one of the big winners in the allocation in the national Budget. It is projected to benefit from $7.4 billion more in recurrent funds. Just over $68.22 billion is projected to be spent, up from the $60.75 billion last year.
Agricultural training institutions are set to benefit from funds to do repair and maintenance work from the education budget.
The Sydney Pagon Agricultural High School in St Elizabeth has been allocated $40 million, up from $20 million last year.
Similarly, Knockalva Agricultural School in Hanover has been earmarked for $30 million worth of repairs, while the College of Agriculture, Science and Education is set to get $8 million to effect repairs to its buildings.Be Sure To Leave A Comment.
By Nick Tasler
Article courtesy of Brazen Careerist
Obviously, we’re in a crisis. Obviously, it sucks. But this might be just the crisis Gen Y has been groomed for…if not destined to overcome.
Nine years ago, in their book Millennials Rising Neil Howe and William Strauss argued that every 4 generations a “hero generation” is born. The last such generation of heroes was the band of WWII brothers (and sisters) known to most of us as Grandma and Grandpa. They were followed by the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X and then—four generations later—Gen Y.
Each of these hero generations is raised by adults that are deeply concerned about the youth. Their parents believe that the world they know is just one more generation of wayward youths away from total collapse. So the parents take especially close, nurturing care of their children. In such times, parental neglect becomes sacrilege, and these children are constantly reminded that they are the future.
Then at some time during the hero generation’s young adulthood, crisis strikes. These crises—the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWII—provide the catalyst for this special generation to step up and carve out their destined places in history. Strauss and Howe called the crisis the “hero trial.”
Gen Y’s Hero Trial
In our case, the concerned parents are Boomers. The first wave of wayward youths are the Gen X’ers. The hero generation is the Gen Y’ers.
What I found so remarkable about Millennials Rising is how eerily prophetic it was. Corny as it sounds, goose-bumps literally sprouted up on my arms while reading it this morning. It predicted a coming crisis sometime in the “Oh-Oh’s” (i.e. between 2000 and 2009) that would act as the Millennials’ hero trial. Keep in mind, this book was published a full year before 9/11 and eight years before the recent economic meltdown. Nostradamus couldn’t have scripted it better.
Although hopeful, the question Strauss and Howe posed is: Will the Millennials pass their hero trial?
Psychologist, Jean Twenge doesn’t think so. In 2006, she wrote in Generation Me that Strauss and Howe got it all wrong. She argued that Gen Y was more narcissistic and self-serving than Baby Boomers ever dreamed of being. She did some very convincing research showing that Gen Y college students scored way higher on Narcissism scales than Boomers did when they were in college. She also pointed to the poor youth voter turnout in 2000 and 2004 to show how Gen Y was not at all concerned with civic virtues like Strauss and Howe claimed. Instead, she argues that Gen Y cares as little for the world beyond their individual cocoons as Gen X, and even less so than Boomers.
But then came the 2008 election in which Gen Y mustered up a higher youth voter turnout than in any election since 1972 when 18-year olds were first granted the right to vote. Now that a crisis has unfolded it would be interesting to recheck the narcissism numbers. Just as Boomer young adults rebelled against the values of their parents and triggered the Me-first mindset, isn’t it possible that circumstances have caused Gen Y to choose their own new path as young adults?
In the spirit of transparency, I was born in 1978, which according to Strauss and Howe (1982-2000) makes me a Gen X’er. According to the Pew Foundation (1976-2000) that makes me a Y’er. Regardless of where I objectively fit (if it’s even possible to make an “objective” generational cutoff), I consider myself a recovering trophy kid. That makes me both optimistic and a little nervous about what I consider to be my generation’s ability flourish in the hero trial. I’m sort of nervous, because everything I’ve read about the entitled Gen Y’ers in the workforce, I can relate to. Such as the time when, within the first two months at my first job at the 60,000+ employee global consulting firm, I outlined what I was certain the global new hire training program should look like. Then I demanded that one of the firm’s partners look at it. I never did hear his response to the idea, but I can only imagine what he thought of me personally. Had I not learned to smooth down my entitled trophy kid edges, I would be mostly useless right now.
On the other hand, high self-esteem has significant benefits if based on some real ability that Gen Y definitely has. I’m also convinced Gen Y has the right ideals—valuing collaboration over individual gain; humility over hubris; learning over being “right;” and practicality over idealistic masturbation.
The verdict of the hero trial will depend on 4 questions:
1. Will we be able to translate unbridled optimism into effective action?
2. Will the weight and duration (could be years) of this crisis eventually bury that optimism altogether?
3. Will we become so disillusioned with the state of the world that we choose to withdraw from it instead of holding strong to change it?
4. Will we get defensive when critiqued, or will we learn to do what’s necessary to become influential in a world we might not care much for at the moment?
A few years ago, John Mayer said that he and all his friends were “waitin’ on the world to change.” I think the time for waiting has passed. What do you think?
On the evening of Thursday April 2nd, the university's security forces were seen walking, running, riding and driving all across the campus in hot pursuit of a laptop thief. During this 'daring' chase, campus police rode clear over a number of road signs outside of the library parking lot.
Reports say that the laptop was recovered and the thief apprehended, but at what cost...
Leave a comment here.
Via:High Snobiety
Christian Peau is a Japanese Fashion House that's been gaining much love from fashion bloggers, and from yours truly. If you're feeling generous, buy two pairs and send me one :) P.S. I'm partial to black ;)
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