peterxu's Blog

For years I have been in an ongoing tussle with friends over the pronunciation of the format .gif. I thought naturally enough that it should be pronounced with a hard g since it stood for graphical interchange format.

By some serendipity now forgotten, I came across some information which shocked, shocked me and which I quote:

he GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), pronounced JIF, was designed by CompuServe and the official specification released in June of 1987. /p>

I cried, Nooooooo!, but I then read on.

It seems the term was invented by a team of software engineers (soft g), or geeks (hard g) who were inclined to program endlessly to the neglect of their nutrition. Their solution: peanut butter. The brand: Jif. I was mortified. Now I am stuck with both an odious pronunciation but a ridiculous explanation. Fortunately I am a flexible person.

To make it worse, someone pointed out that if I insisted on the hard g what would I suggest for .jpeg Jfeg (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

I seem to recall that somewhere in the bible there is the suggestion that mortification is good for you. Well fine.

Naturally, that brings me to lingerie.

As a kid, I always heard the word pronounced lon-jher-ay. I was amazed one day to hear Art Linkletter pronounce it lang-jayr-ee. How could he be so dumb I later learned that that was correct for the French pronunciation. So, being flexible, I began to pronounce it that way, even to the nasal n and swallowed r.

Now I hear tell that it is gauche to pronounce adopted words as if in their original language, and I suppose, droit to pronounce them in the standard way the uneducated English speaker would do. Well, I guess I rather be droit than gauche but it hurts.

I wish I could come up with a good moral for this story. When in Rome talk with your hands, when in America, talk like an idiot

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Economists, as defined by the Labor Department, study how society distributes scarce resources such as land, labor, raw materials, and machinery to produce goods and services. They conduct research, collect and analyze data, monitor economic trends, and develop forecasts.

The Work:

Economists conduct research and prepare data for analysis. They research issues such as inflation, interest rates, and employment levels to come up with data that can be processed to forecast economic change in the future. They prepare their reports by using charts and graphs or tables to illustrate the results of their research. There are many specific areas for work as an economist such as being an organizational economist, industrial economist, labor economist or monetary economist to name a few.

Training:

To become and economist, you will need to earn at least a bachelors degree in economics. Many private sector companies require a master degree or Ph. D. in economics from their employees however. A bachelor degree in economics will cover topics such as macro and microeconomics as well as statistics and math. Finance, accounting, public relations, public policy and information technology will also be covered in your degree program. To become and economist, you will need to skills in organization, pay keen attention to details, and have patience and persistence. Those with a graduate degree in economics will generally specialize in a specific area of the industry.

Outlook:

An economics degree can provide you an opportunity to work in a variety of professional organizations. A number of economists work in the public sector and help government simplify their operations. Up to 58 of economists work in this capacity. Depending on your field, expertise, and industry, salaries can vary greatly. Economists in major metropolitan areas average a salary of $78,000 annually, but they can earn significantly more with years of experience.

Mary Hart is an in-house writer for Online-Degrees-Today.com and has been writing about online business degree programs since 2004. To find out more information about earning your online economics degree, click here.

A lot of people who have considered learning a second language have often decided against it because they just feel it will be too difficult for them to do. However those that do start learning by attending a local community college course will find themselves giving up after a few lessons because they feel embarrassed at the mistakes they are making or they have just decided it is not for them. However if you are someone who needs to learn a second language say for example Spanish then you may want to consider using an online audio program instead. In this article we will look at the ways in which you can decide which is the best kind of learn Spanish with sound online program for you.

It is important that you should note that any good online audio Spanish teaching program should come in a variety of different formats. This means that you can then use the program on your PC or laptop whether at home or work. Plus it should also allow you the chance to download the program on to your PC or laptop so if you want you should then have the facility to burn it to a CD or download it on to your MP3 player so you can listen to it whilst you are away from your computer.

Certainly the main reason a lot of people are turning to learning Spanish online rather than taking part in the traditional classroom method is that it provides you with the chance to learn words and phrases as they are spoken in real life. Unfortunately with a lot of classroom based courses you will find that a large part of the time is spent dealing with the grammar of the Spanish language rather than the ways in which the Spanish actually speak it themselves.

As you will soon discover a good online audio Spanish language course is provided by those professionals who are there to teach you about real life situations and what you will need to know in order to use the language in the real world.

It is therefore important when it comes to looking for a good quality online audio program for learning Spanish that you choose ones which will cause you to interact with them more. Look for those that contain lots of games and activities which will ensure that you remain focused and motivated when it comes to learning this language. Remember you want it to be fun the more you enjoy the more likely you are to want to learn more. Unfortunately if you are finding the course or program tedious and boring the chances are you will find that you do not learn the language as effectively as you hoped to.

By keeping the above guidelines in mind you should soon be able to find a good and reputable learn Spanish with sound online program that suits your needs and requirements perfectly.

Do you want to learn to speak Spanish quickly and easily

If you are someone who finds a lot of satisfaction in unscrambling financial records and balancing budgets, you may be the perfect candidate for online accounting schools! In this day and age, there is no quicker way to becoming a certified public accountant than online accounting degree programs. In a matter of about eighteen months, you could qualify to be a CPA with an associates degree in accounting.

There are a lot of directions and choices in higher education, to be sure; but distance learning allows students to study at a pace that is convenient and comfortable for each individual. By earning an associates degree, you could enter the field with solid skills and expertise necessary to begin a respected career. You might also consider applying those earned credits to a bachelors degree program; or even a graduate degree program (MBA), depending on your ultimate goal. And, all of these degrees can be earned from accredited online colleges and universities.

The best online courses in accounting will cover the professional methods of financial bookkeeping, including accounts payable and accounts receivable. Advanced lessons are often concentrated on particular areas of the field, such as tax auditing, payroll, budget control, or forensic accounting. The three main branches of accounting would be Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), Certified Internal Auditors (CIAs) and Certified Management Accountants (CMAs). Each branch has its own specific learning curve, and curriculums will vary somewhat from school to school.

The important thing to remember is that online accounting training allows you to take these steps one at a time, whenever you feel ready to move along. There are no strict timetables, no scheduled class times to meet, no traveling to and fro, and a lot less stress. And, provided your school is accredited, you can be proud to show your online degrees to any employer.

If you are ready to make a move into a rewarding and challenging new career, but are short on time, why not consider attending college online It just may be the best way to get the accounting degree you need to become a professional CPA.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on our website.

Copyright 2008 - All rights reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.

Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find Accounting Schools Online, as well as campus based Accounting Schools, and other Colleges, Universities, Online Schools and Vocational Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your resource for higher education.

English is known as the global and universal language but if you go by stats then it is shocking to know that only 28 of the entire European population can read English. And this percentage falls comprehensively when you come to South America, the Middle East and Asia. Talking of the Middle East, getting through to people to sell or market your product is rather difficult since you have to reach out to them in their own language. It is in these areas where Arabic translation comes into play. Your communication strategy has to be so strong that you are able to capture the target audience with an ease. That why translation services especially from English to Arabic are catching up these days.

Despite the fact that English to Arabic translation is picking up there is an acute shortage of skilled translators. Translation is the best and trusted way to match the rapidly expanding market. And it is also the most cost effective method so it is wise to take full advantage of translation services so that you can take your business to places and it booms globally. According the latest research conducted by U. S. State Department it was stated that every year U. S. companies lose almost $50 billion mainly due to the less sales incurred due to poor translations.

It has been seen that majority of the companies run into trouble and face various problems with translation services that are incorrect or ethnically inappropriate especially when it comes to Arabic translation. Simultaneously there are highly skilled and professional translators who can convey your message effectively and also portray the high quality image of your products or services. Arabic translation, however, has come a long way and is soon set to boom. English to Arabic translations has influenced marketing messages and has also helped in keeping many a company away from legal difficulties. But the main question that pops up in the mind is from where one can get good translation service This question stirs the mind and makes you get many sleepless nights.

Nowadays, there are various modes of translation but which one is more reliable. If you think computer-generated translation is best then you are absolutely wrong, since it would not hold water when it comes to translating from English to Arabic. Besides, Computer-generated translation is highly amateurish and less competent to the native speakers.

Now the only option you are left with is finding and hiring a reliable and a trustworthy translator who is versatile in translating from English to Arabic. This option is also very tough as the market is flooded with array of translators claiming to be the best. And your main aim is to single out the best one from the endless lot. But you shouldn forget that this is the era of electronics communication and finding the best translation service is not the hard nut to crack. It means you just have to hire translator located anywhere in the world and mail him or her translation matter. All the details can be either discussed via mail or even through a chat. And after all the initial conversation the translator is all set to work. But it has a drawback too that is for having an easy payment.

Hence it would be wise to hunt for a translator located either in your locality or in your country who can provide you with Arabic Translation. With the boom in translation services, now various translation service providers offer a free consultation and a free price proposal for the project. Apart from that it is wise to delve into the translator background and find out whether the translator has a sound knowledge about your business as well as the market trend. Try to go by word of mouth, which means, looking for the referred Arabic translators as this gives more authentic translated copy.

Try to choose a translator who can perform English to Arabic translation from the native country itself as this will only help you in return. Native translators are generally updated with the changes and development in the language. This helps them to maintain a certain quality of your project so that you reap maximum profits. Once everything is finalized, then, provide the translator enough time to work upon the project so that you are provided with a translation that is absolutely outstanding.

The author is budding web content writer and also experienced in writing quality content for various websites. You can view his blog for more information.