Are you, or is anyone you know considering a Masters degree in one of the following engineering disciplines?:
Electrical Power Engineering
Engineering Systems and Management
Information Technology
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Microsystems
Water and Environmental Engineering
Are you also interested in sustainable communities? Are you really smart? Would you rather not spend any money on your Masters?
If you have ever answered "Yes!" to anything in your life, I may have the perfect thing for you. If you have ever answered "Yes!" to the questions I just asked, then I definitely have the perfect thing for you: Consider a degree at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
Masdar is a planned city in the near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The city will be:
Emission Free
Zero Waste
Fulled completely by Renewable Energy
The MASDAR Institute is located at the center of the city. As they build their reputation the University is offering more than free tuition, paying for practically everything you need including your flight there. They are doing this through the The MASDAR Institute Graduate Scholarship (for all nationalities to study at Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi)
Full scholarship is available to qualified talented students who meet its high admission standards which include appropriate TOEFL score, GRE and an excellent CGPA from a recognized university. A minimum CGPA of 3.0 (on a 4 point scale) or 2:1 in the British system, minimum TOEFL score of 577 (91 on the IBT) or academic IELTS (min 6.5), and a minimum GRE quantitative score of 700 are the basic requirements without which an applicant will most likely not be considered.
Students accepted into the Masdar Institute will be offered a full scholarship which includes the following:
100% tuition fee scholarship
Textbooks
Laptop
Medical Insurance
Housing
International students will receive reimbursement of travel expenses (economy class air-ticket) into Abu Dhabi and back home after completion of studies. Travel expenses (return economy class air-ticket) back to the student's home country at the end of the 1st year of studies will also be reimbursed.
Reimbursement of TOEFL and GRE exam fees (upon registration at Masdar Institute and submission of original receipts)
A competitive stipend per month (cost of living allowance).
The scholarship and benefits are subject to the student maintaining a minimum CGPA as determined by Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and satisfactory progress on their research.
Here are two Ottawa Senators videos that I filmed a couple months ago. I was on the Ottawa Senators bench during the beginning of a game against Boston (i think). Brian Elliot had been named Molson Cup player of the month (December 2009) and awarded $1000 which he was to donate to a charity. He didn't have any charity in mind so Nick Foligno suggested that he donate it to the Sens Foundation Bear Hug.
Short aside: Nick is the captain of The Bear Hug. The Bear Hug is a fundraiser that the Sens Foundation has adopted a few years back. Generally money is raised by high school students. The students raise funds door to door, then they come together on the day of the "hug" and attempt to beat a Guinness world record for largest bear hug ever. It was an organization called "The Force" that originally came up with the idea. Later they approached a group of people (mainly at St. Matthews high school, my dad included. They raised over $100,000 that year and they beat the Guinness record 5 117. Some Romanians came and beat that record so the Ottawa group tried it again raising $318 000, but failing to beat the record.
Anyway, they wanted to show Brian donating the money to the Foundation in a pre-game ceremony in from of all the fans and so my dad was asked to ceremonially accept it. He was also given two tickets to the game so I went along too. These videos are of me behind the Sens bench during the pre-game warm up. The first video is the national anthem which I enjoyed along with the likes of Pascal Leclaire. The second video is of Brian Elliott receiving an over-sized check from Molson then handing to my dad who accepts it on behalf of the Bear Hug.
A couple weeks ago on April 1st 2010, I decided that it is about time to start watching the ABC TV series phenomena known as LOST. I had been warned years ago that it was amazing but addictive, so I decided not to start watching until I know that the series is almost over. The two-hour series finale is scheduled to air on May 23 so that gave me over 2 and a half months to catch up and watch in suspense with everyone else. So far I am way ahead of schedule and have watched seasons 1, 2 & 3.
One thing that I was told about the show is that it has many layers to it. So apart from having complicated plots and twisted time-lines, the series is also packed with themes, literary and historical references as well as hidden plots and sub-plots. Knowing this when I began watching, I decided that I would dig into the details and try to identify themes, unravel plots and deduce the premises of the story. I would do this by attempting to identify references and allusions made throughout the show then research them to whatever depth I thought appropriate or interesting. The goal of all this is to be able to guess the plot and determine the premise on which the plot was imagined (I believe that the show was written with a premise in mind). The only rule I made for myself was to avoid reading any other material on Lost which could contain other peoples observations and theories. I wanted to be sure that everything I found I had done on my own.
Since the beginning, I have been successful at identifying references and predicting sub-plots. For example, the story seems to be loosely based on "Lord of the Flies". From people being stuck on an island, to wild boar, to a leader named Jack, to an unseen beast in the jungle; the parallels are numerous. So far however, the most meaningful references that I have found have come from Season 2 Episode 4 (Orientation). This is the episode during which Locke watches the orientation video left by DHARMA. This episode is important because it helped me validate one of my previous theories. The theory was not confirmed until about 40 episodes later towards the end of season 3. The most important clue from the Orientation episode is a book seen beside the Orientation video in the Swan hatch. This book is called "The Third Policeman". My theory is that this book is like an "Orientation" for TV viewing audience which foreshadows the entire series. It would be quite poetic wouldn't it? Anyway I researched the book and drew some interesting conclusions which served as the basis for my theories for the series. Here are some of the conclusions I came to:
1) There is a box on the island. This box contains anything you desire. 2) Characters must relive the suffering from their past. 3) Old laws do not apply (social law or scientific laws) 4) The Island is Hell (possibly Jack's personal Hell). 5) The main character is a healer and a killer. (probably Jack)
There are other clues in the book which predict: - the Russian dolls (box in a box) which contained the diamonds (not necessarily diamonds) - conflicts between Jack and Locke - the time warp - implosion of Swan Hatch
All of these seem to be coming true so I have begun to track certain things about the characters to figure out how it will all end. One of the most important things I feel should be kept track of is which of the characters killed someone before the flight. If they are actually in Hell this will probably matter. I made a chart to help store all this information.
If you click on this picture you can probably open it in a bigger window and be able to read it properly. I probably made some mistakes on this chart so feel free to leave comments. I also may have made some assumptions. One such assumption is that Jack was a killer in his former life. We know that he has often made choices that let some people live while others died. I believe that this is one of the most important traits about Jack; he makes life and death decisions (he will also always need to fix things). In my opinion the most critical moment in Jack's life is when he decides to try to save the lady with the crushed spine (his future wife). I believe that this moment is significant because there was another patient in the operating room who ended up dying. I think that other person is significant and that letting him/her die may be the reason that Jack is on the island (on in Hell, if there is a difference). But all that is just an unsubstantiated theory of mine based purely on intuition, which I am trying to fit into my other theories.
Also other literary references lead me to believe that the entire series may be a figment of Jack's imagination that takes place during the fraction of a second before he actually dies (possibly in the plane crash).
One last thing and this is a shout-out to Michael Johnson: In Season 2 Episode 21 (Two for the Road), Hurley tributes the scene from movie Say Anything where John Cusack hold ghetto blaster over his head playing Peter Gabriel music and the girl falls for him. Hurley wants to do the same thing with this awkward radio that Sayid build. Just thought that this was hilarious.
Some might say that I am a highly intelligent, modest, generous, irresistably good looking, powerful, confident, wise, ruthless and yet a gentle, heroic and thriving young man. Now I would have quite the uphill battle arguing against them, but they would be outright mistaken to leave out my caring and forgiving nature, which is the keystone of the Mike that loved and cherished by us all... not to mention a pillar of modern society, a gentalman and a scholar. I think that I've talked enough about myself for now. What do you have to say about me?
Basically I do things, then I write about them. Other times, I don't do things, then I write about them. I also don't care to make the distinction at the time of writing. Read at own peril.
"If it ain't broke, your not putting enough bicep into it." - Mike McNulty
