My Revision Notes WJEC GCSE History (MRN) R. Paul Evans (Author)
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Education & Reference
My Revision Notes: WJEC GCSE History is designed to consolidate knowledge and understanding of the WJEC History GCSE and thoroughly prepare students for their exams. It covers the four topics of Germany 1929-1947, USA 1910-1929, USA 1929-us.html00 and Russia 1914-1924. It includes: - preparation for the examination including revision techniques - a summary of the key course content, including key terms and key issues - examiner tips on how to tackle the exam questions - revision tasks and exam practice throughout each topic.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)?The battle over Question 7 is intensifying ahead of election night. The controversial issue would expand gambling to table games and increase the number of slot machines here in Maryland.
Monique Griego has more on the final push from both sides of the ballot question.
With the election just days away, both sides of Question 7 are making a final push.
The stakes are high for Question 7, a bill to add table games and increase the number of slot machines at Maryland?s casinos.
?There?s a lot of confusing messages. Each side has spent millions of dollars,? said James Brochin, D-Maryland.
The ad war over expanded gambling has been intense.
Saturday those against Question 7 were still trying to get their message out.
?It?s a low road to economic development. It?s a race to the bottom,? said Heather R. Mizeur, D-Maryland.
Critics question whether money collected in casino taxes would be used to help education and don?t like the tax breaks it offers big casinos.
?So we?re lowering taxes for multi-millionaire casino operators and in the mean time the legislature increased taxes for Marylander who make 100,000 or more,? Brochin said.
On the other side,?this is a fight. A battle between states. Maryland and West Virginia,? said Jim Murren, MGM CEO.
Supporters believe expanded gambling will bring in much needed jobs and money for education. Both the fire and police unions are getting behind it.
?It creates revenue for the state. Any revenue that can be dedicated to education will free up other revenue sources that the state can channel down into public safety and other priorities,? said Jeff Buddle, Maryland Firefighters Association.
They believe if Question 7 loses so does Maryland.
?To us it?s a no brainer. It doesn?t cost taxpayers anything, and it?s something they?ll benefit from,? said John ?Rodney? Bartlett, President of Maryland Fraternal Order of Police.
It?s estimated that if Question 7 passes, it will initially generate around $260 million for Maryland.
Part of Question 7 also proposes a sixth casino in Prince George?s County.
But a majority of PG County voters would have to approve it.
He will be 23 very soon. His name is Jules Terrien. He is the co-founder of Moonkeys Music, a record label based in Paris. He was born in Boston but was raised in Paris. He had his first work experience when he was around 12 years old: his parents sent him to work at a bakery. It changed his life: making and selling baguette showed him that he could use his brain and hands to make something useful and people who like it! After high school, he took a gap year to work with a band he co-founded,?Namast? (www.facebook.com/musicnamaste) and on a film project on the life of Muhammad Yunus, the founder of micro-finance. Then he went to the United States to study at Yale University. For him, it was an incredible experience. He came back to Paris last year to work with his business partner, Martin Toloton, on developing Moonkeys Music (www.moonkeysmusic.com), a music company they started in 2009.
Fortunately, his brother, Alexandre Terrien, a fellow Sandboxer has invited me to crash over at his place here in Paris and I got to meet him.
Jules Terrien is extremely modest. But acutely talented. If he doesn?t sound like a good teacher, he is a good teacher. We spend days talking and dissecting music. Yet, this is what we can give you to read.
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ONYEKA NWELUE: What got you interested in music? And what is your taste for music like?
JULES TERRIEN:?I started playing bass guitar when I was around 12 or 13 years old. I think this is what got me into thinking about music. I started to listen to music and tried to understand the emotions that the artistes were trying to express through their songs. When I was 17, however, I met Raphael Cornet (with whom I later created the band Namast?). This was a turning point because he taught me how to listen to music. I started to pay attention to the various sounds in a song, the effects used, the layers, etc.I listen to a lot of music?probably 5-10 hours a day. I?ve been using Spotify for the past year and love the app! It?s??great to discover new songs and artists.?I think I like all kinds of music except screamo/hardcore rock/etc. This past year, the artist?s I?ve listened to the most were Bon Iver, Fat Freddy?s Drop, Fink, The XX, Radiohead, Phoenix and Stevie Wonder.
ONYEKA NWELUE: When I speak to you, I always sense some kinda feeling of an entertainment guru who clearly understands what he wants. You know what you want. You have travelled to so many countries, after studying in the US. Can you tell us more about your journeys? Where you have been? JULES TERRIEN: That?s a great compliment ? thanks! I don?t know if I consider myself an entertainment guru but I?ve thought hard about what I want to achieve and now I?m working hard at making it happen! As I said earlier, I started music when I was 12/13 years old, then really got into it when I was 17 (I even wrote my University application essay on music) and co-founded Moonkeys Music when I was 19. I?ll be 23 in a few weeks which means I?ve been thinking about this industry and how it?s changing for the past few years, and I?ve started to ?do my thing? for the past 3 years with Moonkeys Music.? As you rightly noted, travelling has been key to that development. I was fortunate to travel a lot: in the past five years, for example, I?ve been to the US (where I lived for 4 years), to South Asia three times, to Africa twice, to South America twice and to various places in Europe. Travelling is great for both personal and professional reasons. Personally, I think it?s one of the best ways to learn about yourself. Professionally, it allows you to think very deeply about what you want to do. On a personal level the trip that impacted me the most was perhaps a trip I took on my own to Indonesia when I was 19. On a professional level however, I learnt the most when I was in the US.
ONYEKA NWELUE: You once mentioned something about performing alongside Nigerian musician, Nneka. Can you tell us about it?
JULES TERRIEN: Unfortunately, I never had the chance to perform personally with these artists. However, Namast?, one of the bands we produce, played at the Solidays Festival a few times and met Nneka there. They also played a concert with Keziah Jones in Paris. We played or worked with other African musicians such as Patrice and my co-founder worked with Papa Wemba once.
ONYEKA NWELUE: This takes me back to your connection with ?African? musicians. What is special about African music? Why do you think there are more African musicians coming to France than anywhere else in the world? Is there a certain magic that happens here that we don?t know?
JULES TERRIEN: Each time I go to Africa, I?m struck by how lively and festive people are. I went to big cities and rural villages and each time, I?ve met incredible people with huge smiles and a positive energy. That?s real magic! That emotionality is so important and when it?s properly channeled into music, it can turn a good song into a hit that people will sing and dance to for ever! In comparison, most people you meet here in the streets of subway of Paris are depressed, negative, frustrated, etc! It?s terrible! On top of that, I think there?s a tradition of technical excellence in African art, and especially music. Most of the world?s best drummers,?percussionist?dancers, singers etc. are African. And, as a result, African artists make some of the most interesting melodies and rhythms.?So when you combine a festival culture imbued with joy, happiness and a desire to dance?with technical excellence?then you get great music!
ONYEKA NWELUE: What was the specific thing that drew you to Namaste? Can you tell us how discovery happened?
JULES TERRIEN: I met Raphael (the singer and guitar player) when I was 17. He had started to sing and play guitar and was childhood friends with Kenzo (keyboards). We started to get together at Raphael?s home and play music. Soon afterwards, Octavio (one of Kenzo?s childhood friends) joined at the cello. Everything started from there. We started playing a few concerts at local venues. Then wrote songs and noticed that people really enjoyed the cool/chill/happy vibe of our music. I left Namast? in 2008 to go study in the US and Benoit Dordolo replaced me at the bass. By then, Reda Samba (the son of Mokhtar Samba) joined at the drums. It took a few years for the band to find their sound and their way to work together but I believe they?re going to do great!
ONYEKA NWELUE: You have signed a few artistes and looking for more. How do you get your investors as owning a record label is really a big thing? How does the structure work?
JULES TERRIEN: We started with Namast?, then signed Fr?nk (his first EP will be released in March 2013). This past year, we signed The Sophia Lorenians and Christine. I think we?ll be focused on working with these artists for the next few months and then we?ll sign new artists. Getting investors is hard. First of all because the music industry lost two thirds of its global value in the past 10 years. It?s slowly starting to recover and digital sales are going up but most people still think it?s impossible to make money in music today.?Second of all because it?s the music business and investors know how risky this business is. The majority of artists in the world are independent artists who don?t make enough money to live. Only a very few are superstars. Getting to the top of the pyramid requires not only hard work and persistence but also talent and a bit of luck.?However, it will always be possible to find people to invest in music because there will always be successful business people who love music and want to use the money they earned to help artistic projects.
ONYEKA NWELUE: I know you have plans of entering the African music market. When is this going to happen? And how prepared should we get for you?
JULES TERRIEN: Before expanding, we first have to be successful here at home and prove that our business model can work.?Expanding internationally takes a lot of time, money and hard work so we will only do it when we?re ready.?I don?t think African artists should wait for Moonkeys Music to come?or for any other ?western? music company. Today, with Internet, it?s possible for anybody to become internationally famous. All you need is a few incredible hit songs a few incredible videos and branding, and an incredible live show. If you have that, everything will fall into place.?Remember that Youtube is the most popular way for people to discover music today. That means that you can be from Paris, New York or Lagos and still become a star, as long as you have an incredible video?Of course, making an incredible video is easier said than done!?But look at a band like Die Antwoord. They?re from South Africa, yet they?re becoming incredibly famous and successful in Europe and America now. Their music is interesting (although I don?t think they have hits yet), but their videos are incredible. The concepts are fun and entertaining. They?re well made and produced. And people from Paris to New York are watching them over and over again. And now the band is playing at huge festivals in the US. Don?t wait for us! First research and learn what makes a song a hit and what makes a viral video a hit. Then focus?on making great music and developing a great brand and all the labels will want to work with you.
ONYEKA NWELUE: What do you believe in? Are you a Christian?
JULES TERRIEN: I was raised a Catholic and my parents practice (my mum even published a youth Bible called ZeBible). I believe very deeply that we?re here on earth for a reason, that we have a responsibility to improve ourselves, our community, and if we can, the world. However, my way to practice my faith is not traditional: I rarely go to Church but will pray on my own. Like many people from my generation, I think I?m more spiritual than religious.
ONYEKA NWELUE: What is your understanding of music? How does it come to you?
JULES TERRIEN: That?s a hard and tricky question.?When I listen to music, I focus on the song?s emotion. That?s the most important. You can have all the effects in the world, the most sophisticated arrangements, etc?but if you don?t have emotion, the song will never work.?Some of the people I work with are much better at understanding music. They?re trained themselves to understand the various layers of sounds, and the various sounds used, etc?That?s great and I wish I could do the same?but again, at the end of the day, it all comes down to emotion: a song needs to make you want to laugh to, dance to or cry to. And, it needs to have a catchy melody if you want people to listen to it again and again and again.
ONYEKA NWELUE: Who are your favourite African artistes and why?
JULES TERRIEN: I?ve been listening to a lot of Asa [Asha] recently. She?s from Nigeria and I love her song ?Bimpe?. I also like Tiken Jah Fakoly.
ONYEKA NWELUE: We don?t know much about you in Nigeria. What is special about Moonkeys Music?
JULES TERRIEN: I?m not surprised you don?t much about us! We?re still a very young company and we?re focused on the French market for now. We also decided to work on promoting our artists more than promoting our company.?I don?t know if there?s anything special about Moonkeys. We?re passionate about music,?obsessed?with the music business and how it?s been changing for the past 10 years. Our long term goal is to focus on developing incredible artists that make original but hit music, and focus on developing the necessary tools and apps for music to be better shared and promoted online.?In terms of artistic direction, I think our ?model? is XL Records, the British label. They?ve done an incredible job at developing huge commercial successes while working with artists that come from the indie world. All of their artists are world-class artists in terms of the quality of their productions! For example, they work with Radiohead, Adele and Jai Paul.
ONYEKA NWELUE: What are the great opportunities for African musicians in France?
JULES TERRIEN: French people have always loved African music and African artists have always been welcomed and successful here in France. But there?s a divide between the very successful African artists here (Keziah Jones, Ayo, Asa, Patrice, etc) and the hundreds of artists who have not managed to make ?hit? music and focus on reaching out to the African diaspora here. ?But again, I believe that African artists shouldn?t focus on reaching one market in particular. They should focus on reaching out to the world using the Internet as the best marketing platform that exists! Make beautiful/incredible music with catchy choruses that people around the world can relate to?create a fun or interesting video?and start promoting your music online!
Onyeka Nwelue is a Nigerian writer studying at Prague Film School in Czech Republic. He is the CEO/Founder of Blues & Hills Consultancy.
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IN what appears to be a well-choreographed script, the airwaves and the print media have lately been inundated with affirmations and endorsements of the absolute powers currently enjoyed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, under the provisions of the 2007 CBN Act.
The media reports were primarily culled from the recent presentations by various stakeholders at the hearings of the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Banking and Finance and Justice.? The summary of all the presentations, including those of the seemingly passionate pleas of two former CBN Governors, was that it was inappropriate to tamper with the existing provisions in the 2007 Act.
The appellants also maintained that the content of the present Act was in consonance with international best practice; an elder statesman who had earlier served as CBN boss also cautioned that our CBN Governor would lose respect amongst international peers if the Act is amended.? A vice president of the NLC similarly challenged the legislators for proposing to deprive the CBN of its independence, while the House cherished the constitutional guarantee of its own independence.
The CBN on its side also maintained that the amendments would fuel inflation and also obstruct the bank?s ability to quickly respond to evolving market threats.
The apex bank also claimed that the CBN?s ability to deliver its core mandate of price stability (i.e. reduce inflation to 1 ? 2% and create an enabling economic environment) will be compromised if the Act, as its currently stands, is amended in any way.
From the foregoing, the proposed amendments may seem purely self-serving.? Some critics have even suggested that the proposed amendment was a devious route to enthrone mediocrity and create opportunity for leakages in the management of the apex bank.? Other critics also insinuated that the proposed amendment to the Act was the Legislators? payback for Sanusi?s impetuous revelations on the lavish appetite of members of the House.
Surprisingly, this writer?s brief presentation appeared to be the lone voice in the wilderness, which supported the proposed amendments.
Consequently, it may be appropriate to actually evaluate the quality of each of the five amendments proposed by the House.? In reality, the amendment covers less than two pages and relates to just two sub-sections under Sections 6, 7, and 8 respectively, and also includes the introduction of a new Section 48.? Incidentally, the existing 2007 CBN Act contains 90 pages and 54 Sections!
The proposed amendments relate to Board composition, budget preparation, budget approval, salary and appointment of a Deputy in case of absence of the Governor.
The 2007 Act provides for 12 board members with the incumbent Governor as Chairman, while the other members of the Board consist of four Deputy Governors of CBN, fiveDirectors of CBN, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Finance, and the federation?s Accountant General.? The preponderance of 10 CBN officers out of 12 board members clearly negates the principle of accountability and transparency as the aberrant judgement of an anti-people and bellicose Governor will effectively become board policy.? Ultimately, Nigerians will become the victims of the impact of such misjudgment.
The anti-people positioning of CBN?s management in such national issues as the fuel subsidy imbroglio, and the poorly thought-out proposal for the introduction of the N5,000 note are all reminders of such misjudgements; the inexplicable and arbitrary Father Christmas largesse of the CBN Governor has also raised concern.? Fortunately, the National Assembly has belatedly recently woken up from its slumber while the CBN usurped the legislative powers for approval of national debt accumulation; the erstwhile lacuna permitted the CBN and its associate agencies (Debt Management Office and AMCON) to rapidly accumulate over N8 trillion (about US$48 billion) debt for largely unsubstantiated purposes while the legislators snoozed!!? In view of the N100bn annual sinking fund for debt repayment in the 2013 budget proposal, it may take over 60 years to repay these loans.
Incidentally, the Commander-in-Chief, President Jonathan, cannot spend a single kobo or borrow on behalf of Nigeria without prior approval of the legislature.? It is bewildering, therefore, that the CBN Governor and its Board have such sweeping and unfettered powers as unelected civil servants under the existing 2007 Act!
Such absolute powers would corrupt even the most righteous human being and the House has consequently recommended that Section 6(2) of the Act be amended by providing that ?the CBN Board shall consist of a chairman, who shall be either a former CBN governor or a former chairman or managing director of a bank.? The other members of the proposed new seven-man Board would consist of the (incumbent) CBN Governor, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry? of Finance, the Accountant General of the Federation, the Permanent Secretary of the National Planning Commission, a representative of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (not below the rank of a director) and a representative of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (not below the rank of a Director).?? Contrary to speculation, there is no political appointee on the Board!
The second proposed amendment to the 2007 Act relates to Section 6(3)a, which vests responsibility for budget preparation on the CBN and approval of same budget by a lopsided Board with 10 CBN staff out of the 12-man membership. ?In view of the ambience of impunity in our political and economic space, it would be a miracle to expect such arrangement to be free from the pervasive magnitude of fraud in our public administration.? The proposed amendment consequently correctly deletes the existing provision for the CBN?s Board as the sole authority to approve the apex bank?s annual budget.
Some critics have observed that it is the fear of the revelation of the putrid mess in the system that has induced CBN?s orchestrated campaign for the retention of its absolute powers.
The House amendment consequently introduces a new Section 48, which provides that ?the Board shall prepare and submit to the National Assembly through the President not later than 30th September of each year, an estimate of its income and expenditure during the next succeeding year.?? This amendment would certainly be more transparent and would also demand greater accountability in the management of the apex bank.?
The fourth amendment pertains to the leadership of the Board in the event of absence of the Governor.? Section 7(1) in the current 2007 Act stipulates that the CBN Governor would personally choose the candidate to act on his behalf in case of unavoidable absence.? The proposed amendment replaces the provision in Section 7(1) as follows:
?The Governor, or in his absence the most Senior Deputy Governor, shall be in charge of the day-to-day management of the Bank and shall be answerable to the Board for his acts and decisions.?
The fifth and final amendment to the 2007 Act, relates to Section 8(3), which currently provides that salaries and allowances will be solely determined by the current 12-man Board with its its complement of 10 CBN?s staff!? The current amendment, however, provides as follows:
?The salaries or allowances, including pension and other allowances payable to the governor and the deputy governor shall be as stipulated from time to time by the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, subject to the approval of the President.?
Fellow Nigerians, please judge for yourselves who really is being clever by half.? It appears that the CBN is mischievously capitalising on the burden of credibility of members of the National Assembly.? In any event, we have endured CBN?s promises of the dividends of absolute autonomy since 2007; regrettably, the product of our forbearance is increasing debt accumulation and deepening poverty nationwide in spite of increasing revenue inflow!
Instructively, however, even the adoption of the proposed amendments may not bring succour to our blighted economy, if the reconstituted Board encourages the CBN to continue to maintain its monopoly on the foreign exchange market under the amended Act!
Save the Naira, save Nigerians!!
Mr. HENRY BOYO , an economist, wrote from Lagos.
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If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, a new technology developed by the Department of Homeland Security might have been worth its weight in gold during Hurricane Sandy.
That technology is a gigantic inflatable plug that might have prevented the massive flooding of New York City's subway system caused by the storm. In simulations, the plugs--originally developed to combat terrorist attacks and now being evaluated at West Virginia University--have proven to be effective at limiting flooding in tunnels.
Developed as part of the "Resilient Tunnel Project," the plugs are actually enormous balloon-like capsules, according to a department press release. When filled with air or 35,000 gallons of water, the plugs measure 32 feet by 16 feet. Unfilled, they take up little space and can be stashed throughout tunnels, waiting to be inflated remotely at a moment's notice.
They're tough, too. The plug's engineering uses the same design and manufacturing processes as space suits and inflatable space habitats.
PHOTOs of the plug, via DHS and West Virginia University:
"We've proved that these plugs can hold back water," Dave Cadogan of ILC Dover, the plug's manufacturer, told CNN. "I wish we had moved a little bit faster as a team and had gotten this development done."
Other brains behind the project told CNN only one current-generation plug has been manufactured, and the project is at least two years away from producing and selling them to transit agencies.
New York City shut its subway system in advance of Hurricane Sandy, and though service was partially restored Thursday, officials so far have been reluctant to offer a timetable for returning to normalcy after the system sustained "an unparalleled level of damage."
Transit officials estimate the New York subway system loses $18 million every day it's out of order.
Election Day 2012 is just around the corner, and many Americans will be casting their ballots on electronic voting machines. But how reliable are these devices? Michael Alvarez, professor of political science at Caltech, discusses the technologies at your polling station.
This piece, co-written by LEV Policy Analyst Tracy Sherman and LEV Early Learning Community Organizer April Ritter, originally appeared in ParentMap on October 25th, 2012.
We all know we should care about elections, and we?ve heard that this year is especially important for education. This election is important for education at all levels, but some of the most affected students will be our state?s youngest ? those younger than five.
The next governor and legislature will make big decisions about services that help our state?s littlest learners get ready for school and life. Programs like free preschool for low-income children and all-day kindergarten for all students are so impactful because 85 percent of a baby?s brain develops before age five ? and most of it before age three. Rich learning environments during these years, whether in preschools, childcare centers or a neighbor?s back yard, can make a huge difference in a child?s life.
Crystal Garvin, mother of three, knows first-hand the importance of these programs. Her family has worked hard to succeed, but last year, she had to quit her job in her field because her wage was not enough to pay for childcare. Fortunately, her children are able to qualify for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), the state?s preschool program for low-income children, and they could attend preschool, despite the cost.
Research tells us that high-quality early learning is important for all children, but it has an even greater impact on low-income children who often face a number of risk factors and start kindergarten behind their peers. While it is possible for children to catch up to where they should be academically, it is hard. Continue reading here.
This piece, co-written by LEV Policy Analyst Tracy Sherman and LEV Early Learning Community Organizer April Ritter, originally appeared in ParentMap on October 25th, 2012.