Music Education

In primary schools in European countries, children often learn to play instruments such as keyboards or recorders, sing in small choirs, and learn about the elements of music and history of music. In countries such as India, the harmonium is used in schools, but instruments like keyboards and violin are also common. Students are normally taught basics of Indian Raga music.

In primary and secondary schools, students may often have the opportunity to perform in some type of musical ensemble, such as a choir, orchestra, or school band: concert band, marching band, or jazz band. In some secondary schools, additional music classes may also be available. In junior high school or its equivalent, music usually continues to be a required part of the curriculum.

At the university level, students in most arts and humanities programs receive academic credit for music courses such as music history, typically of Western art music, or music appreciation, which focuses on listening and learning about different musical styles. In addition, most North American and European universities offer music ensembles, such as choir, concert band, marching band, or orchestra, that are open to students from various fields of study.

English study

English study is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the United Kingdom, the US, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and the Middle East, among other areas), English linguistics, etc.

More broadly, English studies explores the production of and analysis of texts created in English (or in areas of the world in which English is a common mode of communication). In most English-speaking countries, the literary and cultural dimensions of English studies are typically practiced in university departments of English, while the study of texts produced in non-English languages takes place in other departments, such as departments of foreign language or comparative literature.

English linguistics is often studied in separate departments of linguistics. This disciplinary divide between a dominant linguistic or a literary orientation is one motivation for the division of the North American Modern Language Association (MLA) into two subgroups. 

The English Major (alternatively "English concentration" or "B.A. in English" is a term in the U.S. and a few other countries for an undergraduate university degree focused around the consumption, analysis, and production of texts in the English language. The term may also be used to describe a estudent who is pursuing such a degree.

Stundents who major in English reflect upon, analyse, and interpret literature and film, presenting their analyses in clear, cogent writing. Although help-wanted postings rarely solicit English majors specifically, a degree in English hones critical thinking skills essential to a number of career fields, including writing, editing, publishing, teaching and research, adevertising, public relation, law, and finance.

A digital divide

A digital divide is an economic and social inequality with regard to access to, use of, or impact of information and communication technologies (ICT). The divide within countries (such as the digital divide in the United States) may refer to inequalities between individuals, households, businesses, or geographic areas, usually at different socioeconomic levels or other demographic categories.

The divide between differing countries or regions of the world is referred to as the global digital divide, examinig this technological gap between developing and developed countries on an international scale. The term digital divide describes a gap in terms of access to and usage of information and communication technology.

It was traditionally considered to be a question of having or not having access, but with a global mobile phone penetration of over 95%, it is becoming a relative inequality between those who have more and less bandwidth and more or less skills. Conceptualizations of the digital divide have been described as "who, with which charateristics, connects how to what":

Who is the subject that connects: individuals, organizations, enterprises, schools, hospitals, countries, etc. Which characteristics or attributes are distinguished to describe the divide: income, education, age, geographic location, motivation, reason not to use, etc. How sophisticated is the usage: mere access, retrieval, interactivity, intensive and extensive in usage, innovative contributions, etc. To what does the subject connect: fixed or mobile, Internet or telephony, digital TV, broadband, etc.

Different authors focus on different aspects, which leads to a large variety of definitions of the digital divide. "For example, counting with only 3 different choices of subjects (individuals, organizations, or countries), each with 4 characteristics (age, wealth, geography, sector), distinguishing between 3 levels of digital adoption (access, actual usage and effective adoption), and 6 types of technologies (fixed phone, mobile... Internet...), already results in 3 x 4 x 3 x 6 = 216 different ways to define the digital divide. Each one of them seems equally reasonable and depends on the objective pursued by the analyst".

UNED

The National University of Distance Education, known in Spanish as UNED, is a distance learning and research university founded in 1.972 and is the only university run by the central run by the central government of Spain. It has headquarters in Madrid, Spain, with campuses in all Spanish autonomous communities. In addition, there are 14 study centres, and 3 exam points, in 13 countries in Europe, Americas and Africa. 

The University awards undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as non-degree qualifications such as diplomas and certificates, or continuing education units. UNED combines traditional onsite education with distance learning programs. With over 260.000 students, this university is the largest in Spain and the second largest in Europe.

UNED was founded in 1.972 following the idea of the UK's Open University to provide quality higher and continuing education opportunities to all through a distance education system. It awards the same qualifications as other Spanish universities and has the same entry requirements.

This implies that it is not "Open". Even though the study is at distance, admissions are as strict as for "on-site" education and exams are supervised as in the other Spanish universities. However, some special features of UNED make it different from most other Spanish universities: it is nationwide in scope, applies the most advanced teaching technologies and has a wide social influence with radio and TV programming.

UNED is a university where distance is no object for the fact that, through its educational methodology, UNED is the only university that offers the possibility of obtaining formal qualifications adapted to the European Higher Education Area (AHEA) from anywhere in the world.

Likewise, UNED is the only with centres in the Americas, Africa, Europe and all the Autonomous Communities of Spain; finally, training at UNED is carried out using new technologies, principally the Internet. UNED's mission is to be present as a centre of excellence throughout the world.

The Civil Code

The idea of codification re-emerged during the Age of Enlightenment, when it was believed that all spheres of life could be dealt with in a conclusive system based on human rationality, following from the experience of the early codifications of Roman Law during the Roman Empire.

The first attempts at modern codification were made in the second half of the 18th century in Germany, when the states of Austria, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony began to codify their laws. The first statue that used this denomination was the Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis of 1.756 in Bavaria, still using the Latin language.

Brexit or not?

Withdrawal from the European Union is a right of European Union (EU) member states under the Treaty on European Union (Article 50): "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements."

Greenland, part of the Danish Realm, voted to leave the EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1985. Algeria left upon independence in 1962, having been a part of France until then.

The United Kingdom held a referendum on 23 June 2016 to decide whether it should remain a member of the European Union or leave it, which was won by the "Leave" vote. The voting results showed 51,9% voted to leave (a margin of 3,8% above those voting to remain) and a voting turnout of 72,2%. 

Prior to this referendum, the United Kingdom had held a referendum in 1975 on withdrawal from its predecessor, the EEC; 67,2% of voters chose to remain in the Community with a turnout of 64,62%.

The Treaty of Lisbon introduced an exit clause for members who wish to withdraw from the Union. Under TEU Article 50, a Member State would notify the European Council of its intention to exit the Union and a withdrawal agreement would be negotiated between the Union and that State. 

The treaties of the European Union would cease to be applicable to that State from the date of the agreement or, failing that, within two years of the notification unless the Council, in agreement with the State, unanimously decides to extend this period. The two year period of time in which the terms of the withdrawal agreement are negotiated is known as the sunset period.

The agreement is concluded on behalf of the Union by the Council and must set out the arrangements for withdrawal, including a framework for the State's future relationship with the Union. 

Election law

Election law is a discipline falling at the juncture of constitutional law and political science. It researches "the politics of law and the law of politics". Some of the questions that are addressed by election law are:

- Which persons are entitle to vote in an election (e.g. age, residency or literacy requirements, or poll taxes), and the procedures by which such persons must register to vote or present identification in order to vote.

- Which people are entitle to hold office (for example; age residency, birth or citizenship requirements), and the procedures candidates must follow to appear on the ballot (such as the formatting and filing of nominating petitions) and rules governing write-in candidates.

- The rules about what subjects may be submitted to a direct popular vote through a referendum or plebiscite, and the rules that governmental agencies or citizen groups must follow to place questions on the ballot for public consideration.

- The sources of election law (e.g. constitutions, national statues, state statutes, or judicial decisions) and the interplay between these sources of law.

Public Administration

This word means the implementation of gobernment policy and also an academic discipline that studies this implementation and prepares civil servants for working in the public service.

As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal...is to advance management and policies so that government can function." Some of the various definitions which have been offered for the term are: "the management of public programs"; the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day"; and "the study of government decision making, the analysis of the policies them, and the inputs necessary to produce alternative policies."

Public administration is "centrally concerned with the organization of government policies and programmes as well as the behavior of officials (usually non-elected) formally responsible for their conduct.

Many unelected public servants can be considered to be public administrators, including heads of city, county, regional, state and federal departaments such as municipal budget directors, human resources (HR) administrators, city managers, census managers, state mental hearth directors, and cabinet secretaries.

Public administrators are public servants working in public departments and agencies, at all levels of government. During back to Antiguity, Pharaohs, kings and emperors have required pages, treasures, and tax collectors to administer the practical business of government.

Prior to the 19th century, staffing of most public administrations was rife with nepotism, favoritism, and political patronage, which was often referred to as a "spoils system".

Squash

The use of stringed rackets is shared with tennis, which dates from the late sixteenth century, though is more directly descended from the game of rackets from England. In "rackets", instead of hitting over a net as in sports such as tennis, players hit a squeezable ball against walls.

Squash was invented in Harrow School out of the older game rackets around 1.830 before the game spread to other schools, eventually becoming an international sport. The first courts built at this school were rather dangerous because they were near water pipes, buttresses, chimneys, and ledges.

The school soon built four outside courts. Natural rubber was the material of choice for the ball. Students modified their rackets to have a smaller reach to play in these cramped conditions. The rackets have changed in a similar way to those used in tennis. Squash rackets used to be made out of laminated timber.

In the 1980s, construction shifted to ligheter materials (such as aluminium and graphite) with small additions of components like Keylar, boron and titaniun. Natural "gut" strings were also replaced with synthetic strings. In the 19th century the game increased in popularity with various schools, clubs and even private citizen building squash courts, but with no set dimensions. The first squash court in North America appeared at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire in 1884.

In 1904 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the earliest national association of squash in the world was formed as the United States Squash rackets Association, (USSRA), now known as U.S. Squash. In April 1907 the Tennis, rackets and Fives Association set up a sub committee to set standards for squash. Then the sport soon formed, combining the three sports together called "Squash". In 1912, the RMS Titanic had a squash court in first clash. The 1st-Class Squash Court was situated on G-Deck and the Spectators Viewing Gallery was on the deck above on F-Deck. 

Triathlon

A triathlon is a multiple-stage competition involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. 

Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, cycle, and run components. The word "triathlon" is  of Greek origin from "treis" or three and "athlos" or sport.

The most recognized branded Ultra Distance is the Ironman triathlon. A transition area is set up where the athletes change gear for different segments of the race. This is where the switches from swimming to cycling and cycling to running occur. 

Karate

Karate is a martial art developed on the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It developed from the indigenous martial arts of Ryukyu Islands (called te) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian White Crane.

Karate is nowpredominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open hand techniques such as knife-hands, separ-hands, and palm-heel strikes. Historically and in some modern styles grapling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital point strikes are also taught.

A Karate practitioner is called a karateka. Karate developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Chinese.

It was systematically taught in Japan after the Taisho era. In 1922 the Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to give a karate demonstration. In 1924 Keio University established the first university karate club in mainland Japan by 1932, major Japanese universities had karate clubs.

In this era of escalating Japanese miliarism, the name was changed from "Chinese hand" or "empty hand", both of which are pronounced karate, to indicate that the Japanese wished to develop the combat from in Japanese style. After World War II, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there.