China to Claim the Moon as Their High Ground - Of Course They'll Try

Who owns the Moon? If you said; Nobody! Then you'd be absolutely correct and thus, you could advance to; "Astronomy for $800 Bob!" Just as putting a flag at the bottom of the North Pole under the ice doesn't give a nation dibs on that land, neither does putting a flag on the moon. Now then, what if someone, or some country established a Moon base, colony, or started setting up housing, could they claim that territory, crater, or area? Perhaps, and yet, what government could rightfully grant the deed to that property? Good question.

Some believe that China wants to claim the Moon for itself, right after it takes Taiwan and the South China Sea perhaps? Anyway, there was an interesting and scary article posted to Space Review Online recently, written by Jeff Foust titled; "Fear of a Chinese Moon," appropriately on Halloween October 31, 2011. The article had a quote from Robert Bigelow stating; "I think nothing else the Chinese could possibly do in the next 15 years would cause as great a benefit for China" as claiming the Moon."

Okay so you are laughing now right, well don't because it would be right in-line with how China operates. And Robert Bigelow ought to know, as he owns the company that makes those inflatable space station habitats. Still the article points out that; "he's using the platform he has as one of the nation's leading space entrepreneurs to broadcast a warning about an unusual, even quixotic, threat to America's space ambitions: that China will, in effect, seize the Moon."

Well, nothing like putting the fear of god and a challenge out to the American Entrepreneurs to get with the program or relinquish that bygone opportunity to Red China, a Red Moon that is. Happy Halloween I say, that would be a cold-day in October indeed. Still, you think it couldn't happen? And what if it did, what if China claimed the Moon for herself along with its riches of diamonds, and Rare-Earth-Elements REEs, or rather AMEs Abundant Moon Elements? I dare to ask the question because Sci Fi authors have long since asked the questions in their many novels and movies. What if?

It only stands to reason that China might attempt to do this, as I am certain the Russians, or even our own nation, or at least some in our nation may have wanted to do previously. There is a lot of advantages to having a large solid platform like the moon available for a country's needs, wants, or even military ambitions, still, I am not going to make any conclusions here, as this article is merely to get you to think.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Testing Out Of A College Composition Course

When entering into any undergraduate degree, you will more than likely be required to take a class in English Composition, commonly known as ENC 1101, as a part of your academic fundamentals. You may feel that this is beneath your intellectual know-how. So what are your choices in reference to this class?

One is of course that you could "test out" of this required class by taking the CLEP (Credit for Life Experience Program) exam. Okay, but before you choose this instead of taking the class, you should know what is required by the CLEP exam.

The test itself is 90 minutes long and is made up of 90 multiple choice questions. However, there is an alternative form of this test, where you have the option of writing an essay in 40 minutes on top of the multiple choice questions, which will be decreased to 50 questions in 50 minutes. There are some colleges that will only allow one form of CLEP exam for English Composition, so check with your school first.

For the questions, you will have an equal number divided between grammar and sentence structure. The last half consists of short paragraphs that you read and then answer questions related to the paragraphs. Sound easy? Be careful, because English grammar is not easy and can be very confusing. For this reason, many students opt to write a short essay in order to decrease the questions asked in this area.

Now, if you are not so sure of yourself in this subject, you should take the class. It has many benefits that you might not be aware of. Of course, you will be getting a good refresher course on grammar and sentence structure, which will benefit you throughout your degree program, especially if you have chosen to earn your degree online. Most all of your communication with online schools will be through the written word!

Another area of this class which will be helpful in many other classes is improving your skills of reading comprehension. If you are a returning student, you may not be in the habit of reading in a manner that you obtain all of the information. Most of us get use to "skimming" articles or instructions, instead of really "reading" an item.

You will be instructed in the skill of writing an essay where you are able to present your viewpoint in a structured manner that must follow a pre-ordained format. This can be very important for you if you plan to go on and earn your Master's degree, where you will be required to write a dissertation or thesis. The ability to critically analyze a reading assignment and express your viewpoint clearly will also be used throughout your degree program and later in the business world, especially if part of your job is preparing and presenting new ideas.

It could very well be that you have sufficient knowledge of the English language to be able to "test out" of ENC 1101; however, do not underestimate the importance of what you could learn by taking English composition. Why else is this class a part of every undergraduate college degree program?

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The Marketing Analysis Component Of An Intro To Business Course

The Introduction to Business course is a good course to have under your belt. It does not matter what your field of study. Business is linked to every profession and career. The introductory course can cover a multitude of subjects - everything a budding entrepreneur needs to know to start, manage, and build a business. One of the essential elements for a successful business is learning how to design and implement astute marketing strategies.

Introduction to Business will typically cover standard marketing applications like conducting a marketing analysis. Marketing analysis can be used for a variety of reasons, including determining the best courses of action to take to improve sales and profitability of an existing company or to evaluate whether or not there is a viable and commercial interest for a particular product or service. Typically, the class requires students to create one using real data and information.

In Intro to Business, students can learn how to design a market analysis. They will discover that the key to a successful analysis is the inclusion of pertinent information that can be analyzed and used to implement new ways to grow a business, which usually includes a customer profile. A customer profile helps with navigating a company's sales effort.

The profile should include characteristics in the demographic profile of a target market. If the profile is geared toward soliciting information from individuals, the profile might require the subject to answer questions like age, gender, profession, education level, and household income level. However, if the profile target is made up of corporate customers, they may be asked to convey information such as number of employees, annual revenue, products and services rendered, and years in operation.

The psychographic profile is an important component of the customer profile. This type of profile refers to understanding how perceptions and expectations influence a person's decision-making process. By revealing personal traits, the surveyor may give insight into his or her spending behavior. This profile can be designed to extract information from individual or corporate customers.

Individual surveyor's who complete the psychographic profile might choose from lists that asks which best describes them. Sample categories may include conservative, liberal, fun-loving, cutting-edge, or a trend follower. Other psychographic questions could ask about entertainment likes, publication subscriptions, or hobbies. Categories for the corporate psychographic profile might entail market leadership, environment-friendly, or innovative and cutting-edge.

The behaviorist checklist rounds out the customer profile. This checklist identifies the motivation and reasons why a customer purchases a particular product and service. This is the section of the market analysis where the surveyor can answer questions that rank particular questions. For example, the survey may read, "How important is customer service when purchasing a product?" Then, the surveyor would respond by selecting a ranked number (one to 10, or a range of responses like, "strongly disagree to strongly agree").

Marketing analysis can be fun to create, and you will find effective ways to use it in your career. However, the Introduction to Business course covers much more than learning practical and applicable marketing strategies. Other essential components can help you attain professional success. Consequently, taking the class can add value to any college degree you choose to pursue.

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