If you’re curious about an arms race, covert operations, and what’s on the horizon for conflict in the Middle East (in regards to nuclear weapons) then this webcast is sure to whet your curious appetite.

The live webcast event takes place on:
Friday, October 8, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET.

With a history of perpetual conflict, the Middle East is a region of the world where cultures of various politics and religions collide. As the current arms race between these countries accelerates, there is undoubtedly a single key to ensure regional dominance: nuclear power. But how will the rest of the world react to the possibility of nuclear-armed countries with unstable borders and warring factions?

Join American Military University for this live webcast that will explore how nuclear weapons will shape the future of the Middle East over the next decade. Our guest speaker, Counterintelligence Officer William Tucker, will cover:

• Conflicts in the Middle East
• Iran as a nuclear power
• Cover Operations
• The rest of the world’s involvement
• The future of the Middle East

At the end of the presentation you can join the speakers for a Q&A session on topics discussed.

Even though there’s less immediacy, there are many opportunities for personal interaction with your online professor and fellow students. Electronic doesn’t have to be impersonal. Be sure you attend all discussion sections, groups chats, and question-and-answer sessions. And when you need help—for instance, in preparing your discussion postings— just ask. Indeed, if the distance learning class is smaller than the 300-person version at the traditional college, you might get more face time with the professor than you would have gotten via the traditional route.

(source: Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman – U.S. News and World Report)

 
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Given that many online learning colleges (and even online programs at community colleges and 4-year colleges) do not have permanent faculties (or do not use the permanent teachers for the online program), it’s especially important to check out the credentials of the person teaching the course. Look for the instructor bio on the course Web page. Check out his or her degrees (the higher the better), teaching experience (how many years, at what level), and whether he or she is trained in the field you’re going to take. And, if the info isn’t there, send an e-mail (polite, of course) asking a few questions about the instructor’s background. A good instructor should not take offense and should have nothing to hide.

(Source: USNews.com)

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Not everyone plans ahead for disaster, but when something bad happens they wish they had. You don’t need to have skills training from the Boy Scouts to “be prepared” for unexpected and unwelcome catastrophies and mishaps.

The disasters I’m envisioning revolve around technology and what you’re working on for your online classes. Things can go wrong so simply, such as a bad storm knocking out your power but you need to finish writing a paper for class, but you didn’t charge your laptop, can happen. Or you’re up late juggling work and a discussion board assignment and your computer crashes; then what can you do? Even a small slip-up of forgetting to bring battery back-up while you’re on vacation….just because you’re taking a break doesn’t mean the classes you’re taking can be put on hold.

Lifehacker.com proposes having a “tech backup” kit on-hand to prepare for technology related disasters.

• In this “kit” they suggest having chargers for all your devices. For example, bringing a laptop charger with you on vacation in case you’re in a place without outlets for some time.
• Next is external hard drives and flash drives; this would be more vital for people working on projects that consume a lot of memory and you need to transfer files to another machine quickly to continue working. A flash drive is easily transportable by pocket or key chain if your computer is down and a trip to the local library is in order to complete work for class.
• Your own wireless hotspot. A Mi-Fi, for example, is a stand alone devise which allows for multiple connections over Wi-Fi. But if you don’t have the money set aside for it make sure you have an emergency list of free wi-fi locations you can travel to to get online access quickly and easily.
• Wired keyboard and mouse. Even though bluetooth and wireless are the more desired avenue for collecting and sharing information, hardware-wise, it’s always a good idea to have “good, old-fashioned USB”. When you’re out of batteries for your wireless devices the old stand-by’s are a great alternative.

- By J. Mason