Do You Like the Idea of Studying Abroad?

There is a quote that goes: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

I don't think education is expensive. I think it's priceless!

And you can' quote me on that.

I love the idea of education. I love the idea of formal education. I love the idea of higher education. If you had told me that I could attend school abroad in another country and pursue my education, I would have jumped at the chance. Alas! That chance was not afforded me.

But many others were given the opportunity and they embraced it. Those people are by our standards “successful” and well known. People like:

• Freddie Mercury (1946–1991) ~ (“Queen” lead singer, songwriter, and musician)
• Kerry Washington (1977 - ) ~ (actress aka “Olivia Pope”)
• Bill Murray (1950 - ) ~ (actor and comedian, “Saturday Night Live”, “Ghostbusters”)

There are lots more. If you're curious to know who they are you'll find quick summaries – names, some photographs, where they were born, and where they studied.

People Who Studied Abroad | Tumblr

Successful People Who Studied Abroad 

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I know the times are perilous with terrorist attacks and the dangers posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. But if you had the opportunity, would you like to study abroad.

6 Ways to Study Abroad for Free or Cheap | Go Overseas

Where Can You Study Abroad for Free? | Top Universities

Alfa Beta @AlfaBetaIndia

Alfa Beta is one of the leading education consultants worldwide and is a pioneer in the field of abroad education. Contact us @ info@alfabetaedu.in or @ +91 9873765556 Visit us @ alfabetaedu.in#AlfaBeta #studyabroad #StayHomeStaySafe #CAREERTIPS #education #career

March 31st 2020

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A Few of My Favorite Things ... (such as Korean historical period dramas)

I believe you never stop learning. In fact, learning is one of my favorite things.  If I can combine my continuing education with enjoyable entertainment?  Even better!  I like to dabble in Asian studies, and watching Korean historical period dramas has become another one of my favorite things.  K-dramas are not only a form of entertainment and relaxation but a way to learn about the history of Korea AND pick up a few words and phrases to learn how to speak a little Korean.

Did not have either of those learning goals in mind when I signed into my Flickr account. I was just searching for some free images for my websites and blogs.  But one can often find “treasure” in unexpected places.

Upon logging in to Flickr one day, I was greeted with this message.

Bangawoyo, treathylfox!
Now you know how to greet people in Korean!

I yawned ( ) and thought to myself: “Oh that's just not gonna work!”


So I looked up how to translate: “coffee with milk”.

© Photographer: Mintymilk | Agency: Dreamstime.com


When I watch Korean dramas, I often write a review or recommendation.  You can find my content all over the web.

• Check out My Sageuk Addiction on Medium.com
• Check out my K-drama articles on Read.Cash
• Check out my Korean drama blog posts at My Entertainment Blog

Watch Asian Dramas ~ Free Online Streaming

Society and Culture: What Does Arab Mean?

QUESTION:  Besides being in the entertainment business, what do Danny Thomas, Casey Kasem, Paula Abdul, and Paul Anka, all have in common?

ANSWER:  
They are all famous Arab-Americans.


Michael Franks is a smooth jazz crooner and he sings a love song about his tumultuous relationship with his lover. He describes their interactions with these lyrics: “Every night we fuss and fight like Arabs and the Jews.” Whoa! There's a lot of history wrapped up in just one line from a song.  The Jews I know but exactly who is an Arab?  Karla Scott, M.B.A. wrote an excellent blog post that answers this question.  An excerpt and the link are below. 

"What does Arab mean?

a. A nationality
b. A religion
c. A race
d. A geographical area

The answer is none of the above, really.

Arab is a culture. The three unifying features of the Arab world are language (Arabic), religion/law (Islam, Koran in Arabic)* and geography(24 countries in Middle East and Africa). The term Arab refers to a culture that originated in Arabia and in the 7th century, expanded to include most of the Middle East and Northern Africa. ..."


Continue reading ...

What Does Arab Mean? | Go Overseas With Ease

* NOTE:  There are some who disagree with Ms. Scott's second identification mark.  They maintain that an Arab can be an Arab and not be Muslim.  In fact, they assert that Arabs were Arabs long before Islam was even a religion.  They back up their claims either by pointing to secular historical records that pre-date Islam; referencing Jewish/Old Testament scriptures which refer to the descendants of Ishmael as Arabs (Ishmael was Abraham's son by his wife's handmaid, Hagar); or referring to both the records and the biblical accounts.  It is said that Mohammed proposed that the entire Arab (which was very divided) could be united if they all embraced the religion of Islam as it would make them a brotherhood.  Some Arabs, not ALL, embraced the religion.

America is clearly a diversified country.  But since American history textbooks don't truly reflect this diversity, certain months are set aside in the USA to pay respect and honor to Americans of various heritages and backgrounds who made significant and positive contributions to the building of America.  April is the month designated to celebrate Arab-American Heritage.  I could have published this post in April.  But why? ☺  Any day is a good day to share enlightening facts gleaned from American history or world history.

“There are two types of people in this world, the Givers and the Takers. The Takers sometimes eat better, but the Givers always sleep better.” - Danny Thomas, Birthday remembrance pic.twitter.com/508as7mheZ

— Aurora (@CitizenScreen) January 6, 2018

Omar Sharif (April 10, 1932 – July 10, 2015) pic.twitter.com/g58KHB1GDz

— Aurora (@CitizenScreen) July 10, 2017

How Did Clouds Get Their Names?

DID YOU KNOW:. Luke Howard was a pharmacist by profession.  But this “young amateur meteorologist named and classified the clouds in 1803”.   He first identified 3 types of clouds ~ Cirrus, Cumulus, and Stratus ~ and then further used intermediate and compound names to identify more types of clouds.

This short video explains how the expression “Cloud 9” (Cumulonimbus) came to mean being on top of the world.  How did clouds get their names?

It's a most enjoyable and educational video.

I now have an even greater appreciation for that Motown song “Cloud9” performed by the legendary group The Temptations; and I love Charlie Brown even more. ☺❤

Clouds are a great topic to study with kids.

• Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids
• Fun Cloud Facts for Kids | Easy Science for Kids
• Cloud Facts - Facts Just for Kids

B. toys – Rain-Glow Squeeze – Light-Up Cloud Rattle for Babies 3 Months +

Human-Interest Story: Refugees Given Hope

Kids in the film’s cast and crew live in a remote refugee camp, Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northern Kenya. They are waiting, to be resettled in the U.S., Australia, Canada or Europe. But IF peace and security return to their countries, they would like to go back home. They are called the Lost Boys of Sudan; but the "kids from different countries — Congo, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda — and religious backgrounds".

The camp was started in 1991. In 2011, a 19-year-old Congolese refugee named Jean Michelle Batakane had an opportunity to leave the camp and get an education. He returned to the camp and continued his education by educating others.   He was determined not only to put his new skills to use, but to give the kids living in the camp HOPE!

He used a camcorder, a laptop, and started offering courses to kids who wanted to learn film production. It's a wonderful story. Now the children who are refugees have dreams of a future.

Meet the Teenagers Who Started a Film ProductionStudio in Their Refugee Camp

A Brief Introduction to Arabic Philosophy

I'm an American so if you mention something about or ask me about Western philosophers I would probably be familiar with what or who you are talking about and might even be able to answer the question asked. However, if you ask me about Arab philosophers you will get nothing but a blank stare. That's the reaction you would have gotten before I wrote this article. Now if you ask me I might be able to engage in a short conversation with you.

I don't know why we never studied Arab philosophers in school. After all, wasn't it the Arabs who invented Algebra? They're smart people. Surely we could learn from them. Or … maybe they are just like all of the philosophers in Western civilization. They theorize and philosophize and don't really come up with any answers to anything. Maybe my teachers thought: Eh! You study one philosopher, you've studied them all. LOL.

Anyway, one of my New Year Resolutions is to try to learn new things that I have no familiarity with. I knew nothing about Arab philosophers. But now I know a little bit and I will share it with you.

Image credit

When you tackle a topic like this the best place to start your research is in a reputable and reliable encyclopedia like the Encyclopedia Brittanica. A perusal of several EB articles revealed the following eye-opening facts:

~ Islamic philosophy and Arabic philosophy, are phrases that are used interchangeably and the beginning of the philosophical movements in the Islamic world dates back to the 9th century.

~ Arabic philosophy combined the Western philosophies of Aristotelianism and Neoplatonism with other ideas introduced through Islam.

~ Al-Kindī is honored as being the first Muslim philosopher. He was known as “the philosopher of the Arabs”. How did he know so much about Western philosophy? Because he was appointed by the Abbasid Caliphs to work alongside his contemporaries, and translate Greek philosophical and scientific works into Arabic.

~ An important distinction must be made between Islamic philosophy versus Islamic theology (or religion). That distinction is that … it is very similar to Western philosophy in that the philosophers sort of try to eliminate God or Divine Intervention from the picture and rely on non-religious secular human reasoning and science to explain TRUTH and the UNIVERSE.

~ In addition to Al-Kindī, others who made significant contributions to Arabic philosophy in the medieval Islamic world include: al-Farabi and Avicenna (Persia); Averroës (Andalusian Spain); and Ibn Khaldūn (Egypt).

~ Curiously, Christian and Jewish thinkers also participated in and influenced the Islamic or Arabic philosophical movements.

~ The first period from the 9th to the 12th (or 14th) century is referred to as classical or early Islamic philosophy. After that time, interest in the movement declined due to lack of supporters. However, there were and are still those who pursued a course of philosophical study to this day.

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The articles in the Encyclopedia Brittanica provided a great introduction to Islamic/Arabic philosophy. 

Additionally, I would like to recommend one more article published via Encyclopedia.com which is a much easier read. Arabian Philosophy | Encyclopedia.com.


This is my stopping point.

If you know more about this topic, please share.

Original source

Ancient History: Ancient Cities: Aram (Modern Day Aleppo in Syria)

Aram, a city in ancient Syria. 
(Today it’s called Aleppo.)

Aramaic is a group of northwest Semitic languages of Palestine spoken during biblical times.  It includes the language spoken by Jesus. It is mentioned in the Old Testament, in the second chapter of the first book of Chronicles.

♦ Image credit: The Southern Levant c. 830 BC, with the Aramean state of Aram-Damascus in the northwest

The Arameans were a desert people who lived along with the Israelites. Sometimes they lived together peacefully.  Sometimes NOT.  The name for this place is translated by some as Syria and by others as Mesopotamia.  In the Bible book of Judges, the third chapter, an Aramaean ruler named Cushan-Rishathaim oppressed the Israelites for 8years.  In the first book of Kings, another ruler named Rezon, founded an Aramaen city-state and they bitterly opposed Israel for generations.  HOWEVER … when the kingdom of Israel became a divided kingdom, if another enemy was even more hostile, they would join forces and unite against a common foe.  The relationship was complicated.

A good analogy is that it’s sort of reminds me of family.  It’s OK if two brothers fight each other.  But if somebody who is not considered a brother tries to attack either one of them, then both brothers join together to fight the attacker.

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Reliable References for Further Study:

• Aram| ancient country, Middle East | Britannica
• Aramaeans– Livius.org, Articles on Ancient History
• ARAM– JewishEncyclopedia.com
• AncientSyria – Ancient History Encyclopedia

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met today Jewish, Druze & Aramean IDF officers in Baram exposing our Christian history, Arameans, Maronites - Jews alliance before & after Independence based on our Aramaic common origins. Maronites saved Many persecuted Jews who escaped from Nazi & Arab regimes. #Aram #town pic.twitter.com/WKL7yoBUT2

— Shadi khalloul Risho (@shadikhalloul) November 21, 2018

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Statute of a seated man of Neo-Hittite or Aramaean origin that dates back to the mid 9th to mid 8th century BC. Both Hittites and Aramaeans were conquered by the Assyrian Empire around 740 BC. Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. pic.twitter.com/3LT5N1QLr5

— 🏛 Omnis Ars 🏛 (@ars_omnis) February 13, 2018

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Over the millennia, Damascus was fought over and occupied by different the Aramaeans, Assyrians, Achaemenids, Greeks, Nabataeans, Romans, Umayyads, Mongols, Turks, and the French. https://t.co/q4aACNtA5c

— Ancient Origins (@ancientorigins) September 29, 2019

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“So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him...”

- John 19:16-18 pic.twitter.com/lzJedFbLDq

— John Wylie (@johnwylie) April 11, 2020

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***  Content first appeared at Virily.com.

Want to read more like this?

Joie de Vivre's Ancient History Blog Posts Roundup!

A Salute to the Graduates of 2020! (And Beyond!)

In the USA, when you reach age 17 or18, you’re usually in 12th grade, which is your last year of high school. You’re a senior! It’s a pivotal moment of transition in life when you slide right into adulthood.


glitter-graphics.com

But even though you are a “brand new adult”, if you were like me, you still didn’t have to pay the rent or face other responsibilities because …? Because you still live at home with your parents.


It has been decades. I graduated from high school in the 70s. But I can remember my high school graduation was a big deal! My mother, my aunts, my brothers, and sister attended the ceremony, took pictures, everybody was smiling and happy! I don’t remember getting any gifts. That’s OK. We weren’t that financially well off. It’s enough that I have good memories of that day. 



I even remember the summer after I graduated I didn’t even get a job. I just stayed at home the whole summer. My mom let me enjoy those last few months of freedom with no responsibility. Then when September came I registered to start classes at the university and life carried on, but … IN A MAJOR WAY. It was my first real step towards independence. Got checked into my dorm room, registered for classes, signed up for a part-time college work-study job, and there was no parent or teacher there nagging and telling me what to do. If something needed to be done, it was all on me!

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This post is inspired by the fact that my last child, my daughter, graduated from high school, Class of 2019. Woo Hoo! Her first year of college is not what she imagined.  This post is also dedicated to the high school graduating Class of 2020.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that transition for my daughter and for you has not exactly been smooth.  But the transition is happening.  Pandemic or no pandemic.  You're on the move now!

For each class of seniors, no matter what the year, it always takes me back to my own graduation ceremony.  I think I get more excited than the graduating class. Sharing some wise quotes to encourage all graduates and set them on the right path. Hoping and praying for your success!

“Stay on the course, never lose focus.”

In Hindi, they don’t say Congratulations! They say “Mujhe tum logo kiyadd bilkul nahi aayegi” which means “You’ve achieved success!”

“…Don’t wait for the future to change you, change your future.”

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

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“The road to success is complicated. Pedal away!” ~ #Wisewords for the #highschool #graduates : #Successquotes #Successtips #quotes #graduation ~ #Advice from Brandon Lobo aka lobobrandon ~ https://t.co/4rrPRVvjAg pic.twitter.com/WWIrE4pkSV

— Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) ~ #Freelancer (@cmoneyspinner) February 22, 2019

Content previously published at Virily.com

Learn a Language: French is the… 2nd most studied language ...

Parlez-vous français?  Non?  Why not?

English is my native tongue. In elementary school, we were taught Spanish. It wasn't optional. It was required. But when I got to high school, the foreign language courses offered were Spanish, French and Latin. No need to take Spanish. About a third of the student body was Cuban and they spoke Spanish all the time. You could learn it just by listening. The smart kids took Latin. You know. The ones that were going to doctors. I seized the opportunity and took 3 years of French. Loved every minute of it! 

Unfortunately, I've forgotten a lot because there was never regular opportunities to converse with anyone who spoke the language. Found a cool Tumblr blog that shares one French word a day. It's a nice reminder. Glad I took the class in high school. Love the sound of French words. So romantic. The French language even makes RAP sound good!


Reasons why you should learn French:

• French is the… — 2nd most studied language — 5th most spoken language — 2nd working language in most organizations — 4th language of the Internet ... bonjourfrenchwords.tumblr.com

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https://bonjourfrenchwords.tumblr.com/post/141048679523/french-is-the-2nd-most-studied-language-5th

https://polyglottraveler.tumblr.com/post/147194267871/idioms-in-french-and-english

https://languagesenrose.tumblr.com/post/168062233436/a-list-of-french-teachers-on-youtube

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Original Source