Origin of Paper :: Essays

The word paper originates from the Greek expression for the antiquated Egyptian composing material called papyrus, which was shaped from beaten portions of papyrus plants. Papyrus was delivered as right on time as 3000 BC in Egypt, and offered to antiquated Greece and Rome. The foundation of Great library at Alexandria put a channel on the flexibly of Papyrus, so According to the Roman Varro, Pliny's Natural History records (xiii.21), material was concocted under the support of Eumenes of Pergamum, to assemble his opponent libray at Permagum. material or vellum, made of prepared sheepskin or calfskin, supplanted papyrus, as the papyrus plant requires subtropical conditions to develop. In China, records were customarily composed on bone or bamboo, making them overwhelming and ungainly to ship. Silk was now and then utilized, yet was ordinarily too costly to even think about considering. In reality, a large portion of the above materials were uncommon and exorbitant. While the Chinese court official Cai Lun is generally respected to have originally portrayed the advanced technique for papermaking (enlivened from wasps and honey bees) from wood mash in AD 105, the 2006 revelation of examples bearing composed characters in north-west China's Gansu area propose that paper was being used by the antiquated Chinese military over 100 years before Cai in 8 BCE [1]. Archã ¦ologically in any case, genuine paper without composing has been exhumed in China dating from the second century BCE. In America, archeological proof demonstrates that paper was created by the Mayas no later than the fifth century AD.[1] Called Amatl, it was in far reaching use among Mesoamerican societies until the Spanish success. In little amounts, conventional Maya papermaking methods are as yet rehearsed today. Paper is viewed as one of the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China. It spread gradually outside of China; other East Asian societies, considerably subsequent to seeing paper, couldn't make sense of how to make it themselves. Guidance in the assembling procedure was required, and the Chinese were hesitant to share their privileged insights. The paper was dainty and, dislike present day western paper, and in this way just composed on one side. Books were created in India, of Palm leaves (where we determine the name leaf for a sheet of a book). The innovation was first moved to Korea in 604 and afterward imported to Japan by a Buddhist cleric, Dam Jing (曇å ¾') from Goguryeo, around 610, where filaments (called bast) from the mulberry tree were utilized. After further business exchanging and the destruction of the Chinese in the Battle of Talas, the innovation spread to the Middle East, Production was begun in Baghdad, where the Bedouins created a strategy to make a thicker piece of paper.

Steps in a jury trial Essay Example for Free

Steps in a jury preliminary Essay A jury preliminary is an indication of vote based system, wherein customary residents have their cases heard and thought by individuals such as themselves. A jury preliminary, in view of the possibility of an unprejudiced jury, can serve equity, since they are ordered to consider on the realities of the case alone. This paper breaks down the means in a jury preliminary, including the sacred preliminary rights that are authorized during a jury preliminary. The jury preliminary rights are communicated in the U.S. Constitution in three different ways: the fabulous jury, the criminal jury, and the common jury. The Fifth Amendment gives the privilege to a stupendous jury: â€Å"No individual will be held to respond in due order regarding a capital, or in any case scandalous wrongdoing, except if on a presentment or arraignment of a Grand Jury†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Sixth Amendment expresses the significance of a â€Å"impartial† and reasonable jury to criminal procedures: â€Å"In every single criminal arraignment, the denounced will appreciate the privilege to an expedient and open preliminary, by a fair-minded jury of the State and district†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Seventh Amendment affirms the privilege of the individuals to a common jury: â€Å"In Suits at precedent-based law, where the incentive in discussion will surpass twenty dollars, the privilege of preliminary by jury will be preserved†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This paper continues to the means in a jury preliminary. The initial step is the choice of a jury. The preliminary court judge sends a solicitation to a board of imminent members of the jury to go to the jury get together space for the motivations behind the jury choice procedure (Judicial Council of California [JCC], 2010). After the appearance of the members of the jury, the adjudicator and legal counselors approach the legal hearers inquiries to survey, regardless of whether the legal hearers are liberated from predisposition, or bias, or anything that may discourage with their capacity to be reasonable and fair-minded, in a procedure called voir critical. It is critical to locate a reasonable and fair jury, which the Sixth Amendment affirms. The Fifth Amendment additionally focuses on that the blamed in a criminal case has an option to a preliminary by a reasonable and unprejudiced jury.In quintessence, the privilege to jury preliminary certifications to the criminally denounced a reasonable preliminary by a board of fair-minded, aloof jurors.[1] The law allows the appointed authority and the attorneys to â€Å"excuse† a few legal hearers from administration for assorted reasons (JCC, 2010).    If a legal advisor looks to have a legal hearer pardoned, the person must utilize a test to pardon the legal hearer (JCC, 2010).   There are two sorts of difficulties: for cause or authoritative. Under a for cause challenge, the law gives a few reasons that legal hearers might be pardoned â€Å"for cause† (JCC, 2010). For instance, a legal hearer who is identified with one of the gatherings for the situation might be pardoned for cause. There is no restriction to the quantity of for cause difficulties. Concerning an authoritative test, this is a test given without the need to give an explanation. The law gives just 10 authoritative difficulties in criminal cases and 6 in common cases (Code of Civil Procedure sec. 231 as refered to in JCC, 2010). The system of addressing and pardoning legal hearers will proceed, until 12 people are picked as the legal hearers for the preliminary (JCC, 2010). The subsequent advance is simply the preliminary. There are three fundamental obligations of the hearer: 1) Jurors ought not address others about the case, particularly the attorneys and gatherings from either side, and even with their loved ones. It is imperative to abstain from being impacted by others who have not heard the entire realities of the case; 2) Jurors ought not make a decision about the case without hearing the real factors.  Jurors should just talk about their conclusions with individual legal hearers and it is their obligation to ponder the realities of the case; 3) Jurors ought not direct an individual examination of the case (JCC, 2010). In the event that they have inquiries regarding the proof, they ought to get some information about it, and he/she will settle on further choices (JCC, 2010). During the preliminary, the members of the jury will tune in to the initial proclamations of the legal counselors (JCC, 2010).   The legal advisor for the offended party in a common case or the investigator in a criminal case may offer an initial expression which communicates their perspectives about the proof (JCC, 2010).   The respondents legal advisor may likewise give an initial explanation after the offended parties lawyer (JCC, 2010).  Afterwards, the legal counselors will introduce the proof, in types of composed archives or articles, which will all be called as Exhibits (JCC, 2010).  After the introduction of the proof, the legal counselors will introduce their end contentions (JCC, 2010). A basic piece of the jury preliminary is the consideration. After a preliminary, the jury continues to a doled out private space to talk about proof and declaration, with the goal that it can arrive at a decision. Members of the jury additionally have an obligation to choose a foreperson. The jury should choose an able foreperson. The forepersons obligation is to see that conversation is encouraged in a composed way, all issues are totally and unreservedly thought, and all attendants are permitted to uninhibitedly partake in the conversations (JCC, 2010). The last stage in a jury preliminary is the decision. All hearers ought to talk about and vote on each issue of the case. In a common case, the adjudicator will advise the members of the jury what number of them must concur so as to arrive at a decision. In a criminal case, the consistent understanding of every one of the 12 members of the jury is mandatory (JCC, 2010).[2] Individuals reserve an option to a jury preliminary, wherein the jury is fair-minded and reasonable. The Constitution accommodates this right, just as the privileges of the members of the jury to have an open and complete consultation on the realities of the case. The attendants, along these lines, must know about their privileges and obligations. Being a legal hearer implies that they are relied upon to be individuals of respectability and to truly seek after their obligations. For in each decision they give, lay the destiny of reasonable and honest feelings. References Dennis v. US, 339 U.S. 162, 171-172, 94 L.Ed. 734, 742, 70 S. Ct. 519 (1950). Fifth Amendment.(no date). U.S. Constitution. Recovered May 31, 2010 fromâ http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/pdf2002/023.pdf Irvin v. Dowd, 366 U.S. 717, 722, 6 L.Ed. 2d 751, 755, 81 S. Ct. 1639 (1961). Legal Council of California (JCC). (2010). Preliminary procedure: Three primary strides of a jury preliminary. Recovered May 31, 2010 from http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/jury/process.htm Seventh Amendment. (no date). U.S. Constitution. Recovered May 31, 2010 from http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/information/constitution/amendment07/ 6th Amendment. (no date). U.S. Constitution. Recovered May 31, 2010 from http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/information/constitution/amendment06/ US District Court . (no date). The Eastern District of North Carolina, New Bern Division. [1] See Irvin v. Dowd, 366 U.S. 717, 722, 6 L.Ed. 2d 751, 755, 81 S. Ct. 1639 (1961). [2] What happens when there is no decision? â€Å"If a jury can't show up at a decision inside a sensible time and demonstrates to the appointed authority that there is no likelihood that they can arrive at a decision, the adjudicator, in their prudence, may excuse the jury. This circumstance is a legal blunder, in some cases alluded to as a hung jury, and may mean the case goes to preliminary again with another jury† (JCC, 2010).

All Thing Fall Apart Essay Example For Students

All Thing Fall Apart Essay In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, ladies of the Ibo clan are horribly abused, and saw as feeble and get practically no regard outside of their job as a mother. Convention directs their job throughout everyday life. These ladies are gutsy and submissive. These ladies are nurturers most importantly and they are definitely not frail. In the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo has a few spouses. He bosses them around like pooches. They are never to address what they are told to do; they are relied upon to be respectful. We obviously observe this right off the bat in the story, when Okonkwo brings Ikemefuna into his home. Okonkwo tells his senior spouse that Ikemefuna has a place with the clan and that she is required to take care of him. She thusly inquires as to whether he will remain with them for an extensive stretch of time. This sends Okonkwo into a rage. He speaks harshly to her in a debasing way, Do what you are told lady. When did you become one of the ndichie meaning older folks of Umuofia? pg. 12 Clearly she gets no regard. Later in the story we see this lady attempt to comfort Ikemefuna. She moms him as though he is one of her own youngsters. She attempts to comfort him and can instinctually feel the amount he misses his own mom. With regards to the Ibo perspective on female nature, the clan permits spouse beating. Okonkwo beats his most youthful spouse one-day since she was chatting with a companion and didn't return home so as to set up a feast for him. Another of his spouses attempts to cover for her when she is addressed with regards to whether the most youthful wife has taken care of the kids before she left. Surely she does this in exertion to secure the most youthful spouse, realizing beyond any doubt what she confronted. Okonkwo doesn't allow them to down, he beats his most youthful spouse seriously until he is fulfilled. Indeed, even notwithstanding requests from his different spouses advising him that it is taboo to beat your significant other during the Week of Peace. Okonkwo will confront outcomes, not for beating another person, however simply because of his planning. He beats his second spouse when she alludes to him as one of those weapons that never shot. At the point when a serious instance of spouse beating precedes the egwugwu, he finds for the wife, however toward the finish of the preliminary a man asks why such a fool should precede the egwugwupg. 83. The spouse thinks about his better half as a property. He either needs his better half back or his lady of the hour cost. The omniscient storyteller recognizes a close intangibility of ladies in Things Fall Apart. Depicting a common function, he admits, It was obvious from the manner in which the group stood that the service was for men. There were numerous ladies, yet they looked on from the periphery like outsiderspg. 77. They are not welcome to remain when men are occupied with any conversation; they are excluded from gathering of war; they don't shape some portion of the masquerades speaking to the legal executive and familial spirits. Okonkwo sees ladies to be frail and absurd. He has an alternate desire for people. This can be seen obviously by the way that he brings up his youngsters. He attempts his best to prepare Nwoye to be solid and courageous while he feels sorry that Ezinma is a young lady. Okonkwo realizes that Ezinma has the correct soul, yet he doesn't attempt to make her to be fearless or solid. He favors her the most out of the entirety of his youngsters, yet on the off chance that Ezinma had been a kid would have been happierpg. 69. This sort of logical inconsistency comes up in the novel over and over. Those reasonable, day by day life instances of how Okonkwo sees ladies assume a significant job in demonstrating Okonkwos genuine drive for his practices. .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b , .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b .postImageUrl , .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b .focused content region { min-stature: 80px; position: relative; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b , .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b:hover , .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b:visited , .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b:active { border:0!important; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b { show: square; change: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-progress: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; mistiness: 1; progress: obscurity 250ms; webkit-change: haziness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b:active , .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b:hover { murkiness: 1; progress: darkness 250ms; webkit-change: obscurity 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b .focused content zone { width: 100%; position: relative; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: striking; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content enhancement: underline; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; outskirt sweep: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; text style weight: intense; line-tallness: 26px; moz-outskirt range: 3px; content adjust: focus; content beautification: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-stature: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/straightforward arrow.png)no-rehash; position: supreme; right: 0; top: 0; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } . uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b .focused content { show: table; stature: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .uae162d8639a8c8a1a16f37d9e55e1d5b:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: The sonnet Charlotte O'Neil's melody EssayFrom those models, we can see that Okonkwo loathes any womens qualities since they help him to remember his dad. He fears turning out to resemble his dad. He detests the way that his dad is so fruitless; along these lines, he wouldn't like to resemble his dad. The fundamental subject for those models isn't to show that Okonkwo doesn't regard ladies by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed they are utilized to show that Okonkwo respects ladies for their capacity in the event that he doesn't dread to become like his dad. Unoka is considered agbala, an untitled man or a lady. Sweet potato, of littler size and lesser incentive than different sweet potatoes, is viewed as female. Osugo has taken to title; thus, in a social occasion of his friends, Okonkwo heartlessly lets him know, This gathering is for menpg. 22. Blame ridden subsequent to killing Ikemefuna, his substitute child, Okonkwo harshly denounces himself not to become like a shuddering old womanpg. 56 this he thinks about the most exceedingly terrible affront. Such outrageous emphasize on masculinity, sex-job generalizing, sex separations, and savagery make a lopsidedness, bringing about denigration of the female rule. Achebe shows that the Ibo regardless allocates significant jobs to ladies. For example, Chielo, the priestess of the Oracle of the Hills and Caves, who in the standard life is a widow with two children and Ekwefis companion. Dressed in the spiritualist mantle of the heavenly nature she serves, Chielo changes from the normal; she can criticize Okonkwo and even shout curses at him: Beware of trading words with Agbala. Does a man talk when a God talks? Be careful! pg. 89 Yet in the event that Okonkwo is weak before a goddesss priestess, he can, at any rate, control his own ladies. Ladies, additionally, painted the places of the egwugwu. Moreover, the main spouse of a man in the Ibo society is offered some appreciation. This concession is shown by the palm wine function at Nwakibies obi. Anasi, Nwakibies first spouse, had not yet shown up and the others different wives couldn't drink before herpg. 16. The significance of womans job shows up when Okonkwo is banished to his country. His uncle, Uchendu, seeing Okonkwos trouble, persuasively clarifies how Okonkwo should see his outcast: A man has a place with his homeland when things are acceptable and life is sweet. Be that as it may, when there is distress and harshness he discovers shelter in his homeland. Your mom is there to ensure you. Furthermore, that is the reason we state that Mother is Supremepg. 116. The main wonder and fulfillment these ladies delighted in was being a mother. They get regard and love from their kids. They are solid for their kids. Ladies are seen to be extremely delicate and mindful. They are required to deal with their kids with the best of their capacity. Ladies are trusted absolutely by their kids. This noteworthy introduction of ladies is utilized by Achebe to distinguish womens job in the Ibo society. This introduction is important to show that ladies surely assume a significant job in the public arena.

What Caused The Financial Crisis? Essay -- Economics

The underlying foundations of the money related emergency can be followed back to the property resource bubble in the US somewhere in the range of 1997 and 2006. This benefit bubble was empowered by an inadequately managed subprime contract industry and the presumption that property costs would keep on rising. The breakdown of the property bubble and resulting abandonments prompted numerous monetary establishments enduring colossal misfortunes because of their introduction to the subprime advertise through a progression of inventive and complex venture vehicles. While these ventures conveyed additional hazard, they likewise gave the open door for gigantic transient returns, and the transition to these more dangerous and progressively confounded monetary speculations may have been encouraged by a ‘too huge to fail’ attitude by numerous US money related organizations. The breakdown of the property air pocket and vulnerability in the business sectors prompted a run by investors and an unexpected loss of subsidizing for banks everyday exercises. Because of the reliance of the interbank loaning market for transient subsidizing, these banks couldn't finance their everyday tasks and a few breakdown, (Lehman Brothers) while others were rescued by the US government (AIG). Such lost certainty inside the monetary business in the end prompted banks working a progressively mindful way to deal with loaning and guaranteed a serious decrease in the accessibility of credit, both to different banks and purchasers. I will take a gander at the how subprime loaning, helped by expansionary macroeconomic strategies and indulgent administrative oversight, in the end transformed into a full money related emergency instead of the view that such emergencies are patterned in open market economies and are a piece of the blast and bust qualities of free enterprise. Sub-prime Mortgages and the Building Blocks of the Financial Crisis ... ...bars/ft/fandd/2008/06/dodd.htm Carmassi, J, Gros, P and Micossi, S. The Global Financial Crisis: Causes and Cures. Diary of Common Market Studies. Vol.47, No.5, pp. 977-996, 2009. Accessible at: http://www.relooney.info/SI_FAO-Asia/Global-Crisis_23.pdf Blakenburg, S and Palma, J.G. Presentation: the worldwide money related emergency. Cambridge Journal of Economics. Vol.33, pp.531-539, 2009. Accessible at: http://cje.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/4/531.full.pdf+html Online Publications Inman, P. Income sans work strikes a chord with loan specialists confronting  £250bn misfortunes. The Guardian Online, July tenth, 2007. Accessible at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/jul/10/usnews.internationalnews1?INTCMP=SRCH Baldwin, R. Extreme hazard taking by Banks. Money Street Pit. Worldwide Market Insight, April ninth, 2012. Accessible at: http://wallstreetpit.com/90959-extreme hazard taking-by-banks

Online Learning Ecology in The United Kingdom

Online Learning Ecology in The United Kingdom Technology-enhanced education is changing the lives of millions without regard for identity, income, or location. Ever dreamed of getting a Surgical Sciences Masters degree? Now you get it online from one of the best universities in the world. Are you worried that you have no qualifications to enter a university, much less a Masters program? No worries! Now you can enroll into a university of 190,000 learners from all over the world, at the cost of only about $8,100 per year and from the comfort of your own home. Interested in pursuing personal scientific inquiry with your fellow citizens? You can do that online even if youre six years old. How is this possible, you may be wondering? Visitors from the United Kingdom, Professor Sir Timothy OShea from the University of Edinburgh and Professor Eileen Scanlon from The Open University, told us how in another installment of the xTalks: Digital Discourses series organized by MIT Office of Digital Learning. Features and Resources of The Open University The Open University, located in the United Kingdom and presented by Professor Eileen Scanlon, Regius Professor of Open Education, prides itself in the mission of being open to people, places, methods, and ideas. In order to fulfill this, the staff strives to promote educational opportunity and social justice as well as provide high-quality university education for all who desire it. Opened in the 1960s to improve education access for people from lower income groups, the OU was the worlds first successful distance teaching university. When the OU accepted its first students in 1971, 25,000 enrolled, and this at a time when the total student population in the UK was only about 130,000. The Open University is currently the largest university in the United Kingdom, with more than 190,000 students, 1,100 academic staff, 7,000 associate lecturers/tutors, and 327 available courses. 20,000 of OU students are from outside the United Kingdom. Staying true to its mission of promoting access to education, the OU practices an open admission policy. A prospective student needs only to sign up to get help, with no entrance tests or requirements whatsoever. In fact, 44% of Open University students start without qualifications needed for conventional university. At the OU, the qualifications that the students earn are the only ones that matter. Access at the Open University means also supporting 12,500 students with disabilities, more than any other university in Europe. The OU staff believes that by creating assistive technologies for students with disabilities, it raises the quality of education for all. The Open University maintains its high standards of distance learning by providing a variety of educational resources. Its courses are available for free online at OpenLearn, OUs home of free learning, which has hosted 35 million visitors worldwide, and iTunesU, which has gotten 20 million downloads. FutureLearn offers courses based on the idea of learning through conversations. Over 3.5 million people have used the website, with 38% taking part in the course discussions. A record-breaking FutureLearn course once received 15,000 responses on a single comment. The Open University also supports Citizen Science, a gateway into formal scientific inquiry. OpenScience Laboratory provides learners from all over the world with virtual field trips, instruments, and lab access. iSpot is an online community for the study of nature. Participants take pictures of nature, and the rest of the community helps them identify the species in the picture. Occasionally, a community member makes an astounding discovery. Six-year old Katie, for example, recently made headlines by discovering a furry moth never before seen in the United Kingdom. Citizens inspired by OpenScience and iSpot can pursue their own scientific inquiry with the help of thenQuire software that leads citizen research. All of these tools are available to the public within and outside the United Kingdom. The resources provided by the Open University sound amazing, but is there proof that they work? Professor Scanlon closed her talk with six evidence-based statements about distance learning: Distance learning pedagogies work. The Open UniversitySupported Open Learning Model is not a replacement for face-to-face interactions, but is efficient in a different way. Support for students from over 8,000 academic staff and tutors influences retention. Assessment can be meaningfully supported by online systems. Creating excellent resources often requires the support of partners. For the Open University, a partnership with BBC has been invaluable in providing high quality material. Authentic activities reward everyone. Personalization for accessibility raises the quality of education for all. Check out some awesome free resources from The Open University at OpenLearn hereand in the links provided above. Online Education at the University of Edinburgh Professor Sir Timothy OShea, Principal of the University of Edinburgh, spoke about all the exciting developments in technology-enhanced education at UE. There are three types of online learning happening at Edinburgh: online + on-campus, online + matriculated + distance learning, and online + free access. The latter of these types is more commonly known as MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses). At the University of Edinburgh, the MOOC with the best retention and completion rates is the Equine Nutrition MOOC. The Introduction to Philosophy MOOC is another learner favorite. This course has spawned several additional MOOCs, books, and online Masters degrees. Many other MOOCs are being added every day. The latest advancement is a series of MOOCs that deal with the issues of the day like The Discovery of the Higgs Boson. (see all the currently available MOOCs at the University of Edinburghhere) Upon the completion of a specified series of MOOCs, UE distance learners can receive a Masters degree. There are currently 60 online Masters options available. The most impressive of these is the Edinburgh Surgical Sciences Qualification. To those apprehensive about getting help from a surgeon who got her degree online, Professor OShea would say two things: the ESSQ students actually perform significantly better in the Membership of Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) examination and the course has won a prize from the Queen (see Professor OShea meeting the Queenhere). In the digital classroom, ESSQ learners have excellent simulations to learn from.Plus, they have to either spend time at a hospital or travel to Edinburgh to prove their proficiency. For those more interested in helping citizens of developing nations, the University of Edinburgh offers many interdisciplinary, highly focused online Masters degrees from the Global Health Academy, focused on particular training needs, such as Global eHealth, Medical Law and Ethics, International Animal Welfare, etc. New focused degrees are currently under development. In case the overview of the University of Edinburgh online offerings doesnt sound amazing enough, here is some impressive data: since the launch of the digital courses, there have been 2.2 million sign ups on 32 courses with over 1.7 million unique learners who have viewed the videos 13.2 million times and received 114,541 completion certificates. The learners represented 200 countries. 111 academics and a similar number of TAs supported the students through their educational journey. Overall, informal lifelong learning is now booming. The worlds top universities are making more and more MOOCs against conventional wisdom. Their technology supports access and reuse, as well as increases learner autonomy. The next step for universities today is to erase the barriers to formal education and continue supporting diverse learners from all over the world. See the audio and slides from this awesome xTalk here. Check out previous blog entries about the xTalks on the 2600-Year History of the Universityand Blended Learning at MIT. Post Tagged #MIT Office of Digital Learning #xTalks