OXFORD UNIVERSITY LOVER

Shopping In London : oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Shopping is one of the main reasons people flock to London in their hoards all year round. With over 40,000 shops from huge department stores to fabulous fashion shops, London is the heart for fashion, style and music. A wide variety of shops are all over London, from high priced exclusive clothing and goods, (some severely over priced I might add) to some amazing deals. For lovers of clothes and shoe shopping and more shoe shopping ladies, London has all the designs and the wackiest looks. But before you start, ring your bank, up your credit card limit, its time to start spending!
Camden Market is the place to go if you want cheaper stuff, it's located next to the Camden Locks; this is London's most popular market. It gets extremely busy here at weekends with thousands of traders, but watch out for the "buggy brigade" (parents with pushchairs!) your feet will be swollen, but not from the incessant shopping... from having them continuously rolled over and stamped on! Even so, you are sure to find the perfect pair of shoes to match that expensive designer outfit you just spent your whole months wages on. On the other hand, if you are looking for something a little different then Kensington Market might be a good choice, it's located on Kensington High Street, this market caters for the underground fashions. You can also find an extensive range of outrageous hair colours, punk and gothic clothing and accessories, record stores, the latest in techno, platform shoes, leather goods and jewellery.
Portobello Road Market features antique goods, as well as clothing and music, hundreds of stalls on weekends, and cafes and bars. It is also a "celeb hotspot" with many famous people living and shopping in the area.
Oxford Street & Regent Street are the main areas in which to find many High Street stores. All the main ones are here from Marks and Spencer, Debenhams, John Lewis, Boots, W.H. Smith, Bhs, C&A and of course Hamley's Toy Shop, which I must add is absolutely breath taking, especially at Christmas, every child and "older child's" dream come true. You may not find many low priced goods here, but it really is worth a look. So credit cards at the ready!
You will also find Harrods; most people make a visit to this shop just to look at the costly price tags, as well as the wide variety of food on offer. But be sure to dress respectively, no light coloured clothing caked in the muddy tyre marks from the "buggy brigade" in the markets!! There is a dress code to shop here!
And then there is Soho. Soho is the place to go for a variety of boutiques; Janet Fitch for designer jewellery, Metalmorphis for body piercings, and Ann Summers for kinky lingerie. Ambient Soho and Black Market Records stock the best of techno, jungle and dance music. Try the Vintage Magazine Shop for excellent movie & TV memorabilia and posters. Soho is the ideal place if you are looking for something to do "After Dark"; it offers a wide range of erotic videos, sex toys, good cafes and restaurants and strip clubs. Soho is an interesting place to wander around, especially for the men who like to "window shop"!!
Shopping in London can be an exciting experience, whether you want to spend or just browse. It's a vibrant city - buying something often involves discovering interesting surroundings and exploring new ones. At the seasonal times of year it is probably best to start early, London streets begin to look like an anthill around lunchtime! I myself am a true Londoner... born and bred, everyday there is something new to be found.
Top 5 'Must Buy Something In' Shops In London - (just for the feel good factor, oh, and the carrier bag!)
Hamleys Toy Shop
Wow! That is the only word that came out of our mouths when we walked through the doors of Hamley's, I lost my two kids and my husband immediately! Unfortunately, they found me again when they wanted money! But if you are looking for a reminder of your childhood or looking for something special for your own kids then this is the shop, and it really isn't that expensive either, you can pick up a gift for as little as a fiver. It really is magical, 7 floors of it, a definite must. Nearest tubes: Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus. Official website: http://www.hamleys.com/
Covent Garden
If you are on a visit to London then try to visit the very trendy Covent Garden, with all the up-to-date designer shops like French Connection, H&M, Calvin Klein and Gap to name but a few. If you are shopaholic like myself then you will love Covent Garden, a fair few celebrities also shop and eat here. The Ivy restaurant is a well-known celebrity hotspot, if you can't get in to enjoy the tasty food on offer then take a stroll past... 2 or 3 times... spot the celebrity! Nearest tube: Covent Garden
Harrods
A trip to London wouldn't be complete without a visit to world-famous Harrods. Some just want to check out the expensive price tags, others buy stuff just for the carrier bag. Even so, you will find everything you need here, mind you, the store is huge and it is easy to get lost. And remember; if you need the loo... take some money with you! Nearest tube: Knightsbridge. Official website: http://www.harrods.com
Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street has loads on offer for yourself and a guilt gift for him (well, we have to buy him something don't we? After all, it's his credit card!). For him, there are sports shops like Puma, Ben Sherman, G-room and if he's a budding DJ then there's Kingly Court, this a great place to buy great vinyls. Oh, and not forgetting a place where he can re-fuel... there's a few pubs too! And for the ladies, there is a number of fine cosmetics shops, a few boutiques selling vintage mod clothing, designer shoe shops and Liberty's is just round the corner in Fouberts Place. There are places where we can re-fuel too... coffee shops and sandwich bars. Nearest tube: Oxford Circus
New Bond Street and Old Bond Street
Just off of Oxford Street, is the less crowded but far more expensive New Bond Street and Old Bond Street, for all those that have an endless flow of cash then this is the place to spend all of it! Most of the shops here have "greeters" who will smile, open doors for you, and wish you a nice day! Oh, and keep your eyes open for the odd celebrity here too, London's Bond streets are well known for bringing out the odd one or two. Nearest tube: Bond Street
It's a vast, fast and vibrant city; London has it all. Don't miss it... come and visit!
Lisa Mills is a freelance writer and is available to write articles for you. Email her Lisamills321 at

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Brokerage with Google Adsense : oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:41:00.001-08:00

A Broker, according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary 1964, is a person who acts as a middleman. Today some would prefer the term Agent; hence we have Insurance Agents, Real Estate Agents and agents representing any number of Industries and Companies.
Now there is a way to broker better deals for more Google Adsense income.
Brokerage Agents are used a lot in business in the Middle East and Asia. It’s a century’s old trusted method of ‘getting business done’. But for some weird and not-so-wonderful reason, the western world has turned their noses up at any idea of an agent or middleman making any kind of profit from introducing people to each other who have a common interest.
The weird thing is that the western world uses Brokers too in many ways but always under a different terminology. We have lobbyists, we have real estate agents, company representatives, insurance agents but they all broker business deals.
With the introduction of Adsense Brokerage, we can now better understand the role that website owners can implement more profitably and dare I say it, broker better deals for themselves and their websites. If you are the owner of a website then you would be foolish to overlook brokering better deals on monetising that virtual real estate.
What does brokerage selling have to do with using Google Adsense? Well, it’s rather a lot and an extremely practical way of monetising web pages both for search engine traffic and for optimising income from Google Adsense or some other form of PPC advertising.
And it’s great news for web publishers because every possible revenue source can be evaluated and optimised more fully once you understand the underlying method. And you get over the ‘stigma’ of being classified as a brokerage agent.
Any person who has done business in Asia or the Middle East understands the importance of having a good agent. What is a good agent? One who works honestly for the best outcome for the person they represent.
So a website owner who works honestly for the best outcome for the businesses advertising or represented on his web pages would be known as a ‘good agent’.
And a good agent stays in business because he/they have made enough profit from that client to do so.

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London, England - Oxford Street :: oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:39:00.001-08:00

Walking along what claims to be the longest shopping street in Europe - about two and a half kilometres (1.5 miles) - is an exhausting business, especially if you are battling for pavement space with hundreds of tourists. The former Roman road is dominated by chain stores - British and international - and full of shoppers with a mission. But it does offer intense retail therapy.
Among the department stores here are two of London's best: John Lewis, "never knowingly undersold", and Selfridges, a temple to consumerism.
You get two bites at Marks & Spencer, but go to the Marble Arch Branch: their flagship shop often has things you'd be lucky to find elsewhere. Stock up on home entertainment at Virgin Megastore or HMV - HMV's outlet at No.150 is the largest music shop in Europe.
Oxford Street scores highly for "throwaway fashion". H&M, Miss Selfridge, Topshop, Warehouse and Zara keep one another keen. (After H&M came out with a Stella McCartney range, Topshop signed Kate Moss to design a collection.) And there are numerous shoe shops, including the funky Shelley's on the southeast corner of Oxford Circus.
One of the street's delights is the Japanese Muji store at No 187. Its mix of household items, stationery, accessories and gifts utilises natural materials and simple design, all at reasonable prices.
Deviate to the top of Regent Street, south of Oxford Circus, to take in the serene Apple Store and bewitching Hamleys - six exciting floors of toys including bespoke teddy bears made while you watch

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Web Taxonomy Creation :: oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:35:00.000-08:00

An important contribution to Public Understanding of Science and for enabling of new insights would be creation of an online systematic representation of scientific information that gives a holistic view of related knowledge. This would reuse information and ideas provided by other researchers. These systems organise and visualise information. Letondal [1] of the Pasteur Institute provides a tool to generate web interfaces for molecular biology programs using an end-user programming approach. TreeBASE [2] is a relational database of phylogenetic information hosted by the Yale Peabody museum. Hughes [3] of the Computational Biology Unit (CBU) University of Bergen has investigated visualisation of phylogenetic trees and written an application that converts the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) [4] taxonomic data into a format that makes it possible to visualise the whole of the NCBI tree of life. Klyne [5] of the Image Bioinformatics Research Group, Zoology Department, Oxford University makes use of Semantic Web technology to build an image publication repository. UK Moths [6] online guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland illustrates the role of amateurs who send in pictures to be categorised. Mammals Family tree [7] provides an innovative way of visualising complex trees as a taxonomy on a wheel, this is a technique which could be developed as an interactive visualization. Fishbase [8] is a web accessible and searchable resource for accessing fish information by various categories. IHOP (Information hyperlinked over Proteins) by Hoffman [9] provides a gene network for navigating more than ten million abstracts in PubMed [4]. By using genes and proteins as hyperlinks between sentences and abstracts, this converts the information in PubMed into one navigable resource. Proviision of 3D hyperbolic representations of trees is investigates by Hughes et al [10]. This capability could be provided on the web using Semantic Web Technologies [11] [12] and this would enable others to edit and interact with these represenatations.
To achieve the above a collaborative modelling approach is required. The literature on collaborative modelling is extensive. Huhns [13] and Paternò [14] both explain that alternatives to current software development approaches are required for ease of model creation. The need is to translate from a model-based visual representation understood by users to software. This makes it possible to engage with end-users and non-specialists in general. Johnson [15] explains that successful interaction requires mapping between levels of abstractions and that translation between these abstraction levels required by people and computers is difficult. Johnson explains that this problem often means systems are created that make users cope with the problems of mis-translation. The representation of rules and information can be illustrated diagrammatically and it is possible to describe algorithms through concrete examples rather than abstractly. Models must be designed and visualised so that they convey to users a representation of a problem that assists with their vision of it. This modelling approach is explored by Crapo et al [16] and is the basis of our visualisation techniques allowing the creation and understanding of taxonomies and models.
Scaffidi et al [17] show that most people who develop software are de-facto programmers lacking a formal computing background, this will often be the case for scientists and the public contributing to taxonomies. End-user programming is particularly important in this research as we are making software development accessible to non-experts. Research by Ko [18] explains the need for engagement of end-users, including non-specialists by providing them with the capability to interact and amend software. An e-science interactive environment is ideal for involving anyone interested in science to amend or produce personal content. The environment will benefit from an interactive e-learning approach influenced by 'Semantic Learning Webs' [19]. The capabilities we will provide over the web are similar, but more collaborative and advanced than provided by spreadsheets for modelling, and web editors for knowledge sharing. We will produce an alternative methodology for scientific modelling that hides the complexity of low-level programming code from users. This is a kind of meta-design, as explained by Fischer [20] that can be standardised to create a collaborative environment for sharing information among scientists. This builds on research we have undertaken to enable end-user programming. We will visualise scientific information and make this editable online. The system created must be judged accessible and user friendly by users. In addition, it must share information successfully with other software and people. So interoperability is extremely important, examples of interoperability research we will make use of are INTEROP [21] and MOMOCS [22], and combine this with a model driven approach. In order to achieve interoperability, the utilisation of open formats should be favoured in order to maximise chances of forward compatibility with evolving scientific models. We will also create or customise editing tools such as wikis blogs, and Semantic Web editors [23] to document the models and collect user's feedback. We will visualise scientific information and make this available online.
References
[1] Letondal C. - http:// www.pasteur.fr/~letondal/ - Pasteur Institute, Computing Center.[2] TreeBASE - a Database of Phylogenetic Knowledge.[3] Hughes T. Phylogenetic tree visualisation - Tim's Home Page - http://www.ii.uib.no/~tim/frontPages/treesPage.shtml.[4] Wheeler DL, Chappey C, Lash AE, Leipe DD, Madden TL, Schuler GD, Tatusova TA, Rapp BA (2000). Database resources of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Nucleic Acids Res 2000 Jan 1;28(1):10-4.[5] Klyne G, 2007, Building a Semantic Web accessible image publication repository - Image Bioinformatics Research Group - Zoology Department - Oxford University.[6] UKMoths - Welcome to UKMoths, your online guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland.[7] Mammals family tree - Use zoom tool to see mammal details on the circle's edge - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6503045.stm - BBC News Science - Mammal rise 'not linked' to dinos - PDF Family tree visualisation.[8] Fishbase - Taxonomy of Fish Species.[9] Hoffman R, Information hyperlinked over Proteins - A gene network for navigating the literature.[10] Hughes T, Hyun Y and Liberles, 2004. Visualising very large phylogenetic trees in three dimensional hyperbolic space. DA. BMC Bioinformatics. BMC Bioinformatics Apr 29;5:48.[11] Eklund P, Roberts N, Green S, 2002. OntoRama: Browsing RDF Ontologies using a Hyperbolic-style Browser, The First International Symposium on Cyber Worlds, CW02, Theory and Practices, IEEE Press. (2002) pp 405-411.[12] Talis Engage Community information at your fingertips - an online community information solution that allows citizens to organise, create and publish details of their events, organisations and groups.[13] Huhns M, 2001, Interaction-Oriented Software Development, Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering.[14] Paternò F, 2005, Model-based tools for pervasive usability, Interacting with Computers Vol 17(3), pp 291-315.[15] Johnson P, 2004, Interactions, Collaborations and breakdowns, ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 3rd annual conference on Task models and diagrams Vol 86.[16] Crapo A W, Waisel L B, Wallace W A, Willemain T R, 2002, Visualization and Modelling for Intelligent Systems, Intelligent Systems: Technology and Applications, 1, pp 53-85.[17] Scaffidi C, Shaw M, Myers B, 2005. Estimating the Numbers of End Users and End User Programmers. IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing, 21-24 September, Dallas, USA.[18] Ko A J, 2007. Barriers to Successful End-User Programming. End-User Software Engineering Dagstuhl Seminar.[19] Stutt A, Motta E, 2004. Semantic Learning Webs. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2004(10), Special Issue on the Educational Semantic Web.[20] Fischer G, 2007. Meta-Design: A Conceptual Framework for End-User Software Engineering. End-User Software Engineering Dagstuhl Seminar.[21] INTEROP[22] MOMOCS - MOdel driven MOdernisation of Complex Systems.[23] Quint V, Vatton I, 2005. Towards Active Web Clients. DocEng Bristol United.
I am a Researcher in the final year of my PhD. I specialise in applying Semantic Web techniques. My current research is on a technique of 'User Driven Modelling/Programming'. My intention is to enable non-programmers to create software from a user interface that allows them to model a particular problem or scenario. This involves a user entering information visually in the form of a tree diagram. I am attempting to develop ways of automatically translating this information into program code in a variety of computer languages. This is very important and useful for many employees that have insufficient time to learn programming languages. I am looking to research visualisation, and visualisation techniques to create a human computer interface that allows non experts to create software.
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The Oxford Street Wonder : oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

Oxford Street, located in the City of Westminster, existed from Roman times until the 17th century primarily as a westwards route out of the City of London towards Oxford, hence its name. Today, Oxford Street is one of the busiest shopping districts and the world’s largest shopping street, having more than 300 shops that attract annually around 200 million of consumers.
The development of Oxford Street as a prime shopping area began at the start of 20th century, when the first furnishing specialists, Waring & Gillow, opened its doors in 1906. In recent years, Oxford Street represents the heart of London’s West End shopping, running for approximately a mile and a half from Marble Arch at the north east corner of Hyde Park, through Oxford Circus to St Giles’ Circus, at the intersection with Charing Cross Road and Tottenham Court Road. Opposite to the Tottenham’s tube station, the recently refurnished, “The Tottenham” pub claims to be the only pub on the whole Oxford Street. But, with numerous clothes shops, record shops, like the famous Virgin Megastore and the HMV unit, which is the largest music store at 50,000 square feet, multiple computer games shops and department stores, including Selfridges, Oxford Street is an ideal location for those on leisure travel and time to browse through its colorful shopping windows. But although the street has multiple stores for one to choose from, these are not the most fashionable or the most expensive in the city of London. For those interested in other principal shopping areas, Knightsbridge is an excellent choice, especially because it is there where the famous Harrods department store is located.
Famous for its celebrity launches and promotions, Oxford Street becomes the focal point during the Christmas period because of the wonderful Christmas lighting tradition that began in 1959. Decorated with thousands of festive lights Oxford Street celebrates the Christmas spirit at a heavily publicized “turning-on” ceremony in mid-to-late November, when a chosen celebrity flicks a switch that illuminates the rays of light that go on until January 6.
Plans have been announced in 2005 for what could be an audacious new move to change Oxford Street from its current traffic clogged state into a pedestrian paradise. Proposals to end the gridlock feature closing the street entirely to all traffic, even buses and build a new monorail stretching from one end to the other to transport people along. Critics however have pointed out that a monorail simply caters for shoppers too lazy to walk down the entire length of the street and that this is already well served by tube which would simply require improved accessibility to existing stations and perhaps a new station half way up the street.

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The Oxford Essential Writer's Reference (Book Review) :: oxford university oxford uiversity press

2008-12-29T11:29:00.000-08:00

As a long time devotee of Oxford publications, there is one small reference book I carry with me whenever I travel. This book, “The Oxford Essential Writer's Reference,” fits neatly into a carry-on bag or a medium-sized purse. For so small a size, the aid this book can give to writers is tremendous.
These words in the prologue “A helpful way to think of this book is as a literary Swiss Army Knife” are very true, because so much is neatly arranged in this 368 page paperback. Just a quick look at the chapter headings is enough proof of this book's usefulness.
The book has nineteen chapters: 1 Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, and Usage guides2. A List of the Most Commonly Used Foreign Words and Phrases3. 100 Tricky Usage Problems and Pitfalls Explained4. 100 Rare Fifty-Cent Words and Their Meanings5. 125 Synonym Studies6. Proofreader's Marks and What They Mean7. Common Citation Styles8. A List of Clichés to Avoid9. A List of Common Rhetorical Devices, Poetic Meters, and Forms10. A Quick Guide to All the Plays of Shakespeare11. A Timeline of Great Works of Literature in English12. Biblical Quotes, Characters, and Books of the Bible13. Major Mythological Characters14. A List of Great Print Resources15. A List of Writers' Advocacy Organizations16. How to Copyright Your Work17. A common-Sense Guide to Manuscript Formats18.Great Websites for Writers19. Forms of Address for Letter Writing
The few introductory paragraphs or one or two pages at the beginning of each chapter make some enjoyable reading on their own.
I found every part of the book to be indispensable, but synonym studies can be very useful to novice writers who may not have grasped the nuances in the meanings of some words. For example, on page 173, the differences between the words “get, acquire, attain, gain, obtain, procure, secure” are succinctly explained.
In the “Quick Guide to Shakespeare” after a two-page introduction to Shakespeare, each play's title, date, and theme are given, as well as one or two famous quotations and a list of characters. It is not an in-depth study of Shakespeare by any means, but it is a quick reference one can glance at when the heavier tomes are not within reach.
The Bible Quotations are given as book, chapter, and verse, after a few paragraphs that point to the importance of the Bible as the reference source by the most famous writers.
Published by Berkley with ISBN: 0425206890, “The Oxford Essential Writer's Reference” is also easy on the wallet. Listed to be sold for $6.99 in the bookstores, from online it can be bought new for about four dollars.

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10 Things Your HMO Won't Tell You! :: oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

So, you're thinking about purchasing, or you currently have, an HMO health insurance plan. You read the nice brochure and the coverage looks like just what you've been looking for. They tell you great things up front, and show you pretty color pictures of happy people using their plan. So what could be wrong? Why not purchase their plan? There are a number of things that they tell you that are 1/2 truths, and the most important things they won't tell you at all. If you already have an HMO, compare the 10 points below to how you have been treated with your plan. It should help make sense of it all. If you are thinking of purchasing one, beware.
1. "The less your doctor sees you, the more he earns." - One of the great things about joining a health maintenance organization is the convenience. You visit the doctor, the HMO pays for it. Most of the time there isn't a single form you fill out. But how is your HMO doctor really getting paid? You might be surprised.
Sixty percent of all managed-care plans, including HMO's and preferred provider organizations, now pay their primary-care doctors through some sort of "capitation" system, according to the Physician Payment Review Commission in Washington, D.C. This is, rather than simply pay any bill presented to them by your doctor, most HMOs pay their physicians a set amount every month- a fee for including you among their patients. At Chicago's GIA Primary Care Network, for instance, physicians get $8.43 each month for every male patient between the ages of 25 and 44, and $10.09 for every female patient between the ages of 20 and 24.
You could argue that these capitation programs are an incentive to keep you healthy: Even if you don't need your doctor, he or she gets paid. But what you need to look out for are the additional financial incentives that come with some capitated payment systems. Some HMOs, such as Oxford Health Plans, Cigna and Aetna, have "withhold" Systems, in which a percentage of the doctors' monthly fees are withheld and then reimbursed if they keep their referral rates low enough. Others, like U.S. Healthcare, pay bonuses for low referral rates. Still others, such as Health Net, have so-called risk pools, whereby primary doctors get a lump sum on top their capitation rate to pay for any patent test or specialist referrals. Anything left over is their bonus. "Capitation is the strongest reason not to recommend a patient to specialist," contends Carolyn Clancy, director of the Center for Primary Care Research at Agency for Health Care Policy and Research in Rockville, Md.
The pressure to avoid specialist can be considerable, says Dr. Lee fisher, a family physician in West Plan Beach, Fla. When he was with CareFlorida, a regional HMO, it was withholding 20 percent of his pay every month, coughing up the money only if he kept referrals low or didn't order too many test or X-rays. Ultimately, Fischer decided to drop out of HMOs altogether. "We were devoting more and more time to a small pool of patients, and we weren't getting paid very much for it, " he says. A spokesman says that when CareFlorida merged with Foundation Health in 1994, it overhauled its capitation system. "It's likely that he would not have this same issue if he were contracting with CareFlorida today," the spokesman claims.
2. "Your primary-care doctor is your specialist." - Everybody wants a doctor who's versatile, but sometimes, in their effort to rein in cost, HMOs really overdo it. How? By pushing their primary-care doctor to take on the additional duties of being a specialist. "Specialist immediately attack a problem with expensive procedures," says David Scroggins, a medical=industry management consultant with Clayton L. Scroggins Associates. "Consequently, HMOs put in the primary care physician's contract a broader scope of responsibilities."
Dr. David Himmelstein, a Boston-area primary care physician, has seen these contracts time and time again. "It's typically vague, you're-responsible-for-everything type of language, " he says. Some are even set up to reduce a doctors monthly pay if he refers you outside for work that was "reasonably available" in his own office, says Scoggins.
The result is that you'll have primary-care physicians either doing procedures for which they're not adequately trained or, more commonly, just cutting corners. They'll do a flexible sigmoidoscopy-in-serting a tube for a colon-cancer check-instead of referring you to a gastroenterologist. Or maybe they'll aggressively prescribe antibiotics for ear or sinus infections instead of sending you to an ear, nose and throat specialist. What can you do? Speak up. If you don't pester your primary-care doctor for specialist referrals, you may never get them.
3. "Your health is a numbers game to us." - Everybody knows HMOs have guidelines for the types of treatment they'll allow and the length of care you're entitled to. That's how they keep their cost down. But did you ever wonder where most of them get those guidelines? Actuaries.
That's right: Number crunchers at actuarial firms such as Milliman & Robertson collect historical care data and perform outcome studies on different procedures and lengths of stay. Then they provide the information to HMOs to be used industry standards. So never mind how you're feeling. If you've had a Caesarean section, according to Milliman, you should leave the hospital within 48 hours. You've had a stroke? You're typically headed home within three days, even if you can't walk out on your own.
It sound more than a little cold, well, that's because it is. "There's no scientific basis" for actuarial guidelines, says Carolyn Clancy. "Any guidelines are based on someone's 'expert opinion,' and that may come from a variety of perspectives."
And make no mistake: These guidelines are strictly enforced. Lee Wesner, an electronics-manufacturing manager with Comsat, had a pinched nerve and needed back surgery. The condition was so bad that he was losing the use of his foot and was actually dragging it. Delaying an operation could cause "serious damage" said his orthopedic specialist, Dr. Neil Kahanovitz, who asked Wesner's health plan, Jefferson Pilot, to approve the surgery. Kahanovitz was told that the condition had only persisted for four weeks and that Wesner had to wait the recommended six weeks.
"The denial was based on a nontreating physician's interpretation of guidelines," Kahanovitz contends. The other doctor "Failed to appreciate that the guidelines were designed to be used as exactly that, i.e., guidelines for proper, timely and appropriate care." Kahanovitz later performed the operation and Wesner recovered. Still, the surgeon says; "my patient needlessly suffered for two more weeks." A Jefferson-Pilot spokesman responds that the company looks at each case individually and that it considers its guidelines appropriate.
4. "Our exclusions could kill you." - Willing to try an experimental medical procedure? If you're in an HMO, good luck. Many not only frown on experimental or non-FDA procedures, they strictly forbid them. Take bone-marrow transplants. "In general they're performed for leukemia patients," says Dr. Martin Malawer, a Washington, D.C., orthopedic oncology surgeon. "But for the last 10 years they've also been proven to be effective treatment for breast cancer, although it's not an FDA-approved treatment." Because of this, many HMOs he deals with won't pay for it. Malawer thinks the logic is flawed. "Standards of care developed over time, and these HMOs are impeding such developments." He says. By all means, you should spend a few minutes scanning the fine print of your enrollee contract. That's where your HMO's rules about these procedures are spelled out. Chances are your contract will also explain that the policy covers only "medically necessary" treatments.
Unfortunately, that phase is wide open to interpretation, notes Dr. Laura Sudarsky, a plastic surgeon practicing in New City, N.Y. She recently saw an asthmatic patient whose Oxford Health Plans primary-care physician recommended breast-reduction surgery. It's not uncommon for asthmatics to have breast reductions-it alleviates some of the weight on the chest wall- but before Sudarsky could operate, the HMO denied the procedure. "Oxford said it did not meet their criteria for reconstructive surgery, "Sudarsky says. Tom Travers, vise president of health xcare delivery at Oxford, declines to comment on that case specifically. However, he adds, "There's no little black box into which we're putting health care and coming out with 20-30 percent savings. It's got to come from squeezing unnecessary services out of the health care dollar."
5. You're not sick until we say you're sick." - Most HMOs Demand Pre-approval for just about any care you get. For just about any care you get, whether it's simple referral to see a specialist or an emergency. Why? "It's clear that the approval process is a hurdle to reduce procedures and referrals," says David Himmelstein. "It's not the turndown that's the issue. It's the hassle it makes for the doctors."
Eric Jung, a Bellcore computer programmer, knows this firsthand. Last summer, he was on his way back to New Jersey from Rhode Island when disaster struck. After stopping to eat, he was overcome with sudden and extreme diarrhea. " I realized I wasn't going to make it home," he says. "Then I realized I wasn't going to make it to the bathroom." After the initial onslaught, he says, he passed out by the side of the road and, delirious, he was taken by his girlfriend to an emergency room in Summir, N.J.
Jung thought he followed all the claim-filling rules of his HMO, PruCare: He called his primary doctor within 24 hours of his ER visit and left a detailed message. Yet a month later, he got a $541 bill from the hospital and one for $259 from the doctor, saying that PruCare had denied it. The HMO's explanation: The emergency-room visit hadn't been pre-authorized.
In the end, Jung got reimbursed for the hospital charges. But it took five months of phone calls and letters, and, as of mid-January, there was still some dispute as to whether PruCare had followed through on its promise to finally pay the doctor's bill. Responds Kevin Heine, a spokesman for Prucare: "When he field his appeal, PruCare said they would notify him of the decision. In early December, he was informed that the facility portion would be taken care of and that PruCare was still examining the doctor portion of the bill. Would we have liked this process to have been quicker? The answer is yes."
6. "Your ignorance is our bliss." - Managed-care providers are all too happy to tell you about some things, like their coverage on well-baby care or their $125 reimbursement for new eyeglasses. But for the most part, they treat the really important information like a state secret.
How many patients have dropped out of their plan in the past year? Are doctors paid on a capitation system? How good are the doctors? We ask these questions of six different HMOs and only two - United Healthcare and Oxford- could provide any answers. "You would like to know that you percentages for surviving a heart attack, based on all the variables, are better with one plan that another," says Robert Krughoff, president of the advocacy group Consumers' checkbook. "This is exactly the kind of comparison shopping you won't be able to do among plans."
About the only place for general information on HMOs right now is the National Committee for Quality Assurance. This Washington, D.C., managed-care-industry watchdog collects various performance data on HMOs and provides it to employers. The group, which is just beginning to market its information to consumers, also runs a reasonably helpful World Wide Web sire (http;//www.nega.org), where you can look up when your HMO was last audited and whether it has the NCQA seal of approval. But it pretty much ends there. Want to see your HMO's actual performance data? Sorry, that's not available to the public. Another negative: Only about half of all HMOs have volunteered fro an NCQA audit so far. "It's an evolving field, and it's very young," concedes Barry Scholl, an NCQA spokesman. "I mean, it's embryonic."
7. "We're loose with the facts." - You call your HMO's toll-free number and get a cheerful-sounding representative who answers you claim question promptly and with authority. But when you do what she suggests, the HMO denies your claim.
Sound familiar? It happens all the time. A recent study of HMOs by the New York City public advocate found that the companies; telephone representatives often gave out badly misleading advice. Five of the 12 HMOs surveyed, for instance, claimed that all of their physicians were board-certified, an exaggeration of up to 25 percent. When a customer-service representative at one HMO was asked if she understood what board-certified meant, she replied, "It means they graduated from medical school." (In fact, it means the doctor has completed a period of post medical-school training and passed an exam in his or her specialty.)
The study pointed out at number of other problems. Representatives gave inconsistent information about the number of allowable specialist visits for instance. And they gave out wrong advice about how soon you have to notify the HMO after an emergency.
Robert Krughoff, for one, wasn't terribly surprised by the study's findings. His group has done its own surveys and found, among other things, that doctor turnover is often much higher than the numbers claimed by HMOs. "You should never accept their statements at face value," he says. "Without auditing, HMO data is meaningless."
8. "We use second-rate parts." - "Top shelf" doesn't quite describe the hip or knee replacements you may get from an HMO. In fact, "generic" may be more like it. "HMOs will often use less-expensive versions of medical devices," observes surgeon Malawer, who consults with several medical-device companies. "In fact, there are entire product lines developed for the HMO market." Although there's a constant stream of new devices coming into the marked, don't count on getting the latest rechnology, either. "There are often better medical devices on the market than are being used, but HMOs are engaged in a policy of silent rationing," argues Steve Speil, a spokesman for the Health industry Manufacturers Association. "They don't tell the patient about the alternatives because they would have to spend the extra money."
How can you tell if you're getting the real thing or a house brand? Ask how it's made. Most implants are made by either a forging or a casting process, says Dr. Charles Miller, professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center. "Forging is much, much stronger." For major work, such as hip replacements, "these less expensive cast implants are not appropriate," he adds.
9. "Send you to an expensive therapist? Are you Crazy?" - Treating mental health is one of the trickiest issues for any insurer, whether it's a fee-for-service plan or an HMO. How much therapy, after all is really enough?
Unfortunately, some HMO critics say, managed-care companies have an easy answer to that question: very little. Their response is often to prescribe medication instead of therapy, because it's so much less expensive, says Russ Newman, an executive director at the American Psychological Association. Medication is not an improper treatment," he adds. "It's just that [in some cases] therapy is being completely excluded."
Dr. Edward Gordon, president of the New York State Psychiatric Association, cites a recent case involving a severely dysfunctional family enrolled in the Physicians Health Services HMO. The father had drug and alcohol problems and was threatening his wife. Their child was suffering from learning disabilities and chronic depression. Gordon would have recommended family counseling at least once a week. But the HMO- whose mental-health care was administered by a separate company, CMG health allowed only four visits each for the mother and child during a three-month period. Meanwhile, the two were put on antidepressant drugs. "CMG has a reputation for being single-mindedly focused on reducing services, " says Gordon. Responds Alan Shusterman, chairman and CEO of CMG, "We are hard-nosed, but not about cost; [not are we] antipsychiatry. We're very aggressive about trying to get patient the most efficient and effective care possible."
10. "Unhappy? Go ahead, just try to sue us." - Since doctors have long been a magnet fro mal practice suits, you might think that HMOs-which often dictate treatment- would now be taking their share of litigation hits. But not so, for most HMOs have been cloaked with a protected status rivaling that of the spotted owl.
For many HMOs offered through large or midsize employers, state law is superseded by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (Erisa). Because Erisa was originally intended to regulate employee pension plans, there isn't much specific to health-plan regulation and, as a result, the legislation makes lawsuits against a health plan an uphill and unprofitable battle. For starters, any suit against your Erisa-governed HMO is properly a matter of federal law. "Being federal law, it's more-ambiguous legal terrain and there are fewer [plaintiff's attorneys available," says Mark Heiplerm a California civil litigator who has successfully sued several California HMOs. Worse, under Erisa you have no chance at any punitive-damage award. "All the HMO has to do is pay for the disputed claim with no interest paid," says Carol O'Brien, a senior attorney with the America Medical Association. "There's only the possibility of attorneys fees and cost (of treatment) but no damages."
Three exceptions: If you're a participant in a government plan or a plan sponsored by a tax-exempt organization, or if you buy your health insurance n your own (not through an employer), you plan is not covered by Erisa. Under these circumstances you have the potential to be awarded both bad-faith and punitive damages, says Hiepler. Otherwise, you're out of luck.
Health Insurance can be very tricky. Arm yourself by reading the policy exclusions and limitations before you buy their plan. Most insurance companies will reluctantly give you a sample policy before you buy if you ask them. Always remember... they are in business to make money, anyway they can.
This article would seem funny, except for the fact that it is true.
I have written several other articles on related subjects for your information and caution. Shop wisely.

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Top Ten Best Places to Visit in the United Kingdom :: oxford university oxord university press

2008-12-29T11:21:00.000-08:00

If you're a hog for beautiful architecture and rich history, then you couldn't possibly think about missing out on the sights and sounds of the United Kingdom. This place, with its beautiful castles and heavenly Cathedrals, is any architecture enthusiast's dream. Its beautiful green landscapes are a sight to behold, too. Indeed, you'll be hard-put to find a place more picturesque than the United Kingdom.
1.) London
A trip to the UK will never be complete if you don't explore the city of London first. There, you can see the world-famous Big Ben, a huge clock that stood the test of time, and you can also find the Westminster Palace, the Westminster Abbey, and St.Paul's Cathedral - all are great sights to behold. Of course, let's not forget about all of London's restaurants, parks, and shopping centers, and truly, London isn't a city that you should bypass.
2.) Stonehenge
Few structures in the earth are as mysterious as the Stonehenge. Built over 5000 years ago, this massive conglomeration of huge stones made to fit together like altars still pose a mystery to all those who see it. Up until now, there's nobody who knows how the Stonehenge was built or what it was for.
3.) Bath
Bath, as its name implies, is known for its many hot springs. You will see here several baths, which are perfect spots to get some much needed rest and relaxation. Here, you can get your share of steam and water in the famous Roman Baths, or better yet, the great baths themselves.
4.) Scottish Highlands
There's no better way to commune with nature than to spend a few days in the Scottish highlands, and there, you can go hiking through the long winding paths or go kayaking through the raging rivers. It has varied flora and fauna that's the stuff of the great epics about the knights of old. You can even visit some of the big fortresses of the old Scottish warlords, and indeed, you'll feel like you've stepped into a romance novel. Also, you can go to the Eilean Donan Castle, where parts of the movie, Highlander, were filmed.
5.) Canterbury
People who want to go to Canterbury are probably going there for the beautiful and historic Cathedrals and churches. There, you can find the famous Canterbury Cathedral, hailed by many to be the grandest Cathedral in the whole of England. Here, you can also find the oldest church in England, the Church of St. Martin.
6.) Oxford
The picturesque town of Oxford is the home of the esteemed Oxford University, one of the most esteemed universities in the whole world. Also, from the city of Oxford, you can go to the Costwolds, a beautiful sample of the gentle hills of England's countryside. You can even see quaint brick houses littering the place, and for added effect, you can go horseback-riding through these parts.
7.) York
If you're one for visiting old towns that make you feel like you've traveled back in time, then the town of York is the place for you. It's complete with a huge Cathedral, picturesque houses, and a big wall surrounding the city. It's one of the most well-preserved cities in the whole of United Kingdom.
8.) Wales
The United Kingdom is a place filled with fantasy and romanticism, so if you're into these kinds of things, you surely can't miss Wales since it's the Castle Country. In Wales, you'll find a variety of castles of different sizes and types. There's Beaumaris Castle, Caernarfon Castle, and many others, and they have towers, parapets, draw-bridges, everything that you can find in your old fairytales. It'll surely be a magical experience.
9.) Winchester
Winchester is one of the oldest towns in England. Subsequently, it has become one of the most historic places in all of the United Kingdom. It is quite well preserved and really does have beautiful architecture, and you'll even find a Cathedral there.
10.) Stratford-upon-Avon
The UK is one of the countries which have produced several very brilliant minds. In Stratford-upon-Avon, you can find the graves of Anne Hathaway. Of course, you will also see the legendary Shakespeare's grave.

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The Romantic Spirit of the Harlem Renaissance:: oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

Like her contemporary Jessie Redmon Fauset, Nella Larsen also fictionalized middle class society; however in Larsen's works, there are undercurrents that imply middle class values are not always 'good.' Nella Larsen's only two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929) were 'novels of passing' but unlike their predecessors, these two novels are "more complex and ambitious" (Davis 560). In these works, Larsen "explores the relationships between appearance and reality, deception and unmasking, manipulation and imaginative management, aggression and self-defense" (Davis 561). Perhaps Larsen is able to delve deeper into the consciousness of people torn between two worlds because she herself had experienced living in both the 'white' world and the 'black' world.
Larsen's mother was an emigrant from Denmark, and her father was from the Virgin Islands. During her early childhood, she lived in a "white working-class neighborhood of Chicago," and attended an elementary school which consisted mainly of the "children of German and Scandinavian immigrants" (Wall 91). However, Wall reports that Larsen suffered "alienation" in her home life, and was "ostracized at school and in the neighborhood" (Wall 91).
In her teen years, Larsen attended Wendell Phillips High School, and later "enrolled in the high school department of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee" which put Larsen among middle class African Americans (Wall 92). But Larsen left Fisk after only one year, apparently "she was no more at home in an all-black community than she had been in a white one" (Wall 92). After leaving Fisk in 1908, until she enrolled at New York's Lincoln Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1912, there exists no evidence of her life in the intervening four years (Wall 92). Larsen says that she spent some time in Denmark attending the University of Copenhagen, but Wall asserts that "in fact, Larsen did not leave the United States" (Wall 92). Wall further states that what Larsen did in that period of her life "remains a mystery," that Larsen "went to great lengths to conceal" (Wall 92).
After graduating from nursing school in 1915, Larsen accepted a position as an "assistant superintendent of nurses at Tuskegee Institute" (Wall 92). While working at Tuskegee, Larsen discovered that "along with their academic and vocational training, students were also schooled in subservience and docility" (Wall 92). Larsen left Tuskegee after one year. She returned to New York, where she quickly became discontented with nursing and obtained a position as an assistant with the New York Public Library; this move put her in contact with the New Negro intelligentsia (Wall 92).
Larsen’s personal life, like her characters, exhibits a continuous quest to establish an identity for herself. But Larsen, if she ever did succeed in her quest for a sense of self, adroitly concealed it from her contemporaries and from the rest of the world. This concealment of her self is described by Wall in an interview with a reporter:
The interview concentrated on more personal concerns. The "unforgivable sin" was being bored, so [Larsen] selected only amusing and natural people, not too intellectual. She would never "pass," because "with my economic status it’s better to be a Negro. So many things are excused them. The chained and downtrodden Negro is a picture that came out of the Civil War." And while she claimed to be "not quite sure what she wanted to be spiritually," she knew she "want[ed] things – beautiful and rich things." (Wall 120).
Wall describes many more instances of Larsen’s flippancy in public, detailing the "considerable lengths" that Larsen utilized to "project a frivolous image" (Wall 120). The reasons for Larsen's deceptive image is unclear, but Wall surmises that "behind its mask, one supposes, [Larsen] felt safe" (Wall 120). This "masquerade of femininity" is a major theme in Larsen’s novels, as also is transgressing social, racial, and gendered boundaries. The themes Larsen employs mark her as a Romantic novelist.
Bibliography
Davis, Thadious M. "Nella Larsen." The Oxford Companion to African American Literature. Eds. William L. Andrews, Frances Smith Foster, and Trudier Harris. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. 427-28.
Wall, Cheryl A. Women of the Harlem Renaissance. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1995.

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Oxford - Central College Bed and Breakfast Accommodation : oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Oxford: a great seat of learning, of celebration and rivalries and of much controversy. How better to ingest this varied history than by staying in college bed and breakfast accommodation in the centre of this ancient City.
Adorned with architecturally elegant colleges, libraries and bridges spanning the river Cherwell, the ancient University city of Oxford exudes a sense of settled accomplishment and tempered yet pioneering learning. Whilst this is what attracts visitors from far and wide to this ancient city, today some of the colleges are allowing guests to scratch a little deeper by offering bed and breakfast accommodation in some of the 39 bastions of academia and gothic masterpieces.
It is within the heart of this city that you can get a real sense of its long and chequered past. As the first British university, it is actually said to have spawned its long-term rival Cambridge, after two of its scholars were hanged for the murder of a local woman and the resulting dispute between town and university caused a group of scholars to flee to the fens and set up in an existing school on the Cam. It was another dispute with the town that almost led to its downfall with the University supporting the Royals rather than Parliament in the Civil War. In the end it was only saved by, of all people, Oliver Cromwell who rejected the Puritan calls for closure as its expression of intellectual thought was deemed 'dangerous to religious belief'. Since then the university has understandably avoided taking an official political position. The same cannot be said for its alumni which boasts 25 Prime Ministers, 25 other world leaders, 12 Saints and 20 Archbishops of Canterbury amongst its other famous writers, scientists and inventors.
And all would have appreciated the beauty and serenity of the town, whether it was walking in the 74 acres of The Parks next to the Cherwell (and maybe catching some First Class cricket for free); seeing a play at Sir Christopher Wren's Sheldonian theatre; taking one of the 8 million books off the 117 miles of shelves of the Bodleian Library; or just appreciating the finer details of one of Oxford's 38 Grade 1 listed buildings.
With the collegiate aspect of Oxford so important, there are fierce rivalries that exist whether its an architectural comparison of respective colleges or the perhaps more brazen rivalries on the sports field. The last of these to flare up was at the 2006 Rugby Cupper Final where the spectators got distracted from the game by a fight between the mascots, with the Pink Pembroke Panther and the St Peter's Squirrel having to be pulled apart. But all is forgotten by the time of the May Morning celebrations, where graduating students follow the tradition of jumping into the Cherwell - however low the water!
And why not be part of one of these historic colleges whilst visiting Oxford? You cannot escape the sense of history if staying in Balliol (possibly even in Harold Macmillan or Herbert Asquith's old room); nor can you avoid the peace and serenity of the beautiful quads at Keble; and fans of architecture and film will both appreciate the Palladian setting of the Golden Compass at Queens College.

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What University Has the Highest Enrollment? :: oxford university oxfod university press

2008-12-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

In June The Times released The Good University Guide 2009 which ranks the top Universities in the UK on such factors as student satisfaction, research quality, and the ratio between students and staff. Although many elements must be taken into account when deciding which institution to apply for, it occurred to me that one of the most popular questions asked online concerns simply the number of students enrolling at our universities. The following discusses a selection of the listed universities in regards to their Times rankings, as well as the number of students enrolling.
Imperial College London. The highest ranking of the big city colleges, The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine has held its spot at number three for another year in The Times rankings. Founded just over a hundred years ago, as the college turned a century there were 13,410 students in total with 5,060 studying at postgraduate level. The institution is located in South Kensington and the current acceptance rate of undergraduate admissions is 17.5 per cent.
University of Birmingham. In terms of the second most highly populated city in England, The University of Birmingham currently ranks the highest according to The Times at number 25. In comparison to Imperial the student staff ratio is lower but the intake of students is far greater. In the year 06/07 the total amount of students was 30,415 with 11,935 taking postgraduate studies. As of 2008, the institution has now split into five colleges, each with its own specialism.
University of Essex. So to find the better student to staff ratio should you choose to enroll at a smaller university? The up and coming University of Essex follows this rule with a ratio of 14.1 students per staff member. The Higher Education Statistic Agency published that for 2006 - 2007 there were 11,660 students in total with 3,305 postgraduates enrolled. Although a relatively young university, the institution is also becoming highly regarded in terms of online education.
University of Oxford. The highest ranking according to The Times, the University of Oxford remains at number one for another year. This honour comes from a combination of a good student to staff ratio of 11.6 and a very high satisfaction percentage among students at 84 per cent. From 2006 to 2007 there were 19,070 students in total with over a third being postgraduates. Acceptance of students from state schools in 2006 was 25 per cent.
Sarah Maple writes about adult education and home learning
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Oxford- A City Guide : oxfod university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). It is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of the university buildings. The Oxford suburb of Cowley has a long history of carmaking, and still produces BMW MINIs.
History
Oxford was first occupied in Saxon times, and was initially known as "Oxenaforda". It began with the foundations of St Frideswide's nunnery in the 8th century. The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Oxford's earliest colleges were University College (1249), Balliol (1263) and Merton (1264).
During the English Civil War, Oxford housed the court of Charles I in 1642, after the king was expelled from London, although there was strong support in the town for the Parliamentarian cause. In the 19th century the controversy surrounding the Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church drew attention to the city as a focus of theological thought. Oxford's Town Hall was built by Henry T. Hare, the foundation stone was laid on 6 July 1893 and opened by the future King Edward VII on 12 May 1897. By the early 20th century Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the 1920s.
Places of InterestsOxford has numerous major tourist attractions, many belonging to the university and colleges. As well as several famous institutions, the town centre is home to Carfax Tower and a historical themed ride, The Oxford Story. In the summer, punting on the Thames (sometimes called the Isis as it flows through Oxford) and the Cherwell is popular. Other notable attractions include:
Christ Church Cathedral
The Church of St Mary the Virgin (the University Church)
Martyrs' Memorial
Ashmolean Museum
Pitt Rivers Museum
Museum of Natural History
Museum of the History of Science
Science Oxford
University buildings
The University Parks
The University Botanic Garden
Cornmarket Street, Oxford
Turl Street, Oxford
Little Clarendon Street
Oxford Covered Market
Westgate Shopping Centre Museums and Art GalleriesOxford has a large number of museums and galleries open for public. Following are the world famous and a major tourist spot in Oxford:
Ashmolean Museum, Britain's oldest museum
Pitt Rivers Museum
Museum of Natural History, home of (the remains of) the Oxford Dodo
Museum of the History of Science, in Britain's oldest purpose-built museum building
Museum of Oxford
Museum of Modern Art
Science Oxford
Shopping
Golden Cross, an arcade of first-class shops and boutiques, lies between Cornmarket Street and the Covered Market. Parts of the colorful gallery date from the 12th century. Many buildings remain from the medieval era, along with some 15th- and 17th-century structures. The market also has a reputation as the Covent Garden of Oxford, with live entertainment on Saturday mornings in summer. In its way, Alice's Shop, played an important role in English literature, it functioned as a general store (selling brooms, hardware, and the like) during the period that Lewis Carroll, at the time a professor of mathematics at Christ Church College, was composing Alice in Wonderland.
It is believed to have been the model for important settings within the book. Today, the place is a favorite stopover of Lewis Carroll fans from as far away as Japan, who gobble up commemorative pencils, chess sets, party favors, bookmarks, and in rare cases, original editions of some of Carroll's works. The Bodleian Library Shop, specializes in Oxford souvenirs, from books and paperweights to Oxford banners and coffee mugs. Castell & Son (The Varsity Shop), is the best outlet in Oxford for clothing emblazoned with the Oxford logo or heraldic symbol.
Food and DrinkOxford offers European and Middle-East and Asian cuisine. Some of the restaurants are:
Cherwell Boathouse Restaurant
Gee's Restaurant
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
Rosamund the Fair
Al-Salam
Browns. Except these restaurants Oxford hosts some Traditional and historic pubs
The Eagle and Child
The Turf Tavern
The Lamb and Flag
The Bear EducationThe University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Events and organizations and institutes officially connected with the University include:
Worcester College, Backs of medieval cottages
The Oxford Union Society
The Oxford University Press, the world's oldest and largest university press
The Bodleian Library
Major Research Libraries (including the Sackler Library)
Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
The Taylor Institution
The Oxford University Student Union
Oxford University Newman Society — Catholic speaker society
The OICCU, the undergraduate Christian union
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History (sometimes called The Oxford University Museum)
The Pitt Rivers Museum
The Ashmolean Museum
The Bate Collection
Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum
Oxford University Sports Federation
Oxford University Boat Club
The O'Reilly Theatre
Moser Theatre
Rothermere American Institute
Said Business School
The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art
Computing Laboratory
Isis InnovationSports
Oxford City FC and Milton United FC among others are two famous football club and play regular club and league matches. Oxford Cavaliers Rugby League Club is the rugby club playing for Oxford city. Drayton Leisure Golf Driving Range is the golf course with 9 HOLE (PAR 3) COURSE and 6 HOLES FLOODLIT. As a city in UK it has a number of cricket teams and hosts tournaments like Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup, National Cricket Club Championship, The Cricketer National Village Championship etc
Tours and Sightseeing
There are a number of tour operators in Oxford. The tourist information center is also very helpful to find out a way to enjoy the visit of Oxford. Hotels and AccommodationsAccommodations in Oxford are limited, though recently, motels have sprouted on the outskirts -- good for those who want modern amenities. In addition, if you have a car, you may want to consider country houses or small B&Bs on the outskirts of town Some of the notable hotels are:
Victoria House Hotel
Cotswold Lodge Classic Hotel
Westwood Country Hotel Ltd
Holiday Inn Oxford
The Oxford Hotel
Oxford Thames Four Pillars Hotel
Express by Holiday Inn Oxford Kassam Stadium
The Bat & Ball Inn
The Upper Reaches
Abingdon Four Pillars Hotel
Oxfordshire Inn
Days Inn Hotel Oxford
The Plough at Clifton Hampden
Marlborough Arms Hotel
The FEATHERS
Macdonald Bear Hotel
White Hart Hotel Transport
Oxford is located some 50 miles (80 km) north west of London; the cities are linked by the M40 motorway, which also links northwards to Birmingham.
Rail connections include services to London (Paddington), Bournemouth, Worcester (via the Cotswold Line), and Bicester. The city also has regular train services northwards to Birmingham, Coventry and the north. The railway service connecting Oxford and Cambridge, known as the Varsity Line, was discontinued in 1968. The Oxford Canal connects to the River Thames at Oxford.Oxford Airport at Kidlington offers business and general aviation services. Local bus services are largely provided by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach South Midlands.

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Enjoy a Day Trip From London to Oxford :: oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:05:00.000-08:00

What's to see in Oxford?
Oxford, known as the City of Dreaming Spires, is an excellent city for viewing many of English architectural styles, some dating back to the Saxon era.
The most famous part of Oxford is undoubtedly Oxford University. It's the oldest university in the English speaking world having being founded in the 12th century. It is also consistently ranked in the top 10 universities of the world.
Unlike some other stately institutions around the world there doesn't exist a single central university building or campus, instead the University is split into about 30 colleges and associated buildings dotted throughout the city. Some of these buildings aren't open to the public, and the ones that are have very different opening times especially during term times.
Other landmarks in the city include the Bodleian Library which is the main research library of the University of Oxford. This library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, founded in 1602 with the collection of Thomas Bodley; and is the 2nd biggest in England though, like the University, is split throughout the city.
The Radcliffe Camera building was built in 1737-1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library. The science library has since been moved but the building is now used as a reading room for a branch of the Bodleian Library. The interior is not always accessible but the exterior is well worth checking out.
The Sheldonian Theatre was one of Sir Christopher Wren's first architectural works and he later went on to become one of the great English architects in history. The ceiling fresco has been recently restored and is certainly a masterpiece of its era.
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin, called St Mary's or SMV for short, is Oxford's largest church. The original church was built on this site in the 11th century but it was rebuilt to its current state in the 15th century. The oldest remaining part is the tower which dates back to the 13th century. This tower is open to the public and offers spectacular views of the rest of the city.
The Taylor Institute, founded in 1845, is the University's centre for the study of modern European languages and literature. Located in an attached building is the Ashmolean Museum, which was the world's first university museum and houses the collection of Elias Ashmole who was a collector of many great antiquities and curiosities from Egypt, Rome, Greece and the Near East.
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is home to the university's collection of zoological, entomological, geological, palaeontological and mineralogical specimens accrued over 3 centuries! A popular example includes the Oxford Dodo. Located close by is the Pitt Rivers Museum, which covers anthropology and ethnology. And of note is that the museum still more or less appears as it did during the Victorian Era.
How to get to Oxford?
Oxford is located some 80kms west and a little north of London City.
If you're heading out from Heathrow Airport, then you'll want to get onto the M25 heading north. At junction 16 you will need to exit onto the M40 toward Oxford/Birmingham. After about 45kms you can exit onto the A40 which will take you from the motorway, through the Oxford bypass, and into the heart of the city.
From London city centre, you will want to head west along the A4. When you get onto the M25, you can head north and follow the same directions given above.

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Oxford Calling: My Interview Experience With Oxford University : oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

It’s a norm for British top universities to conduct interviews with their candidates prior to admission. For most of the universities the interview merely becomes a formality because the admission decision would be based on your college tutor’s report and your result prediction. But for some high profile universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, the interview can become the determining factor that would decide your entry there.
If you are successful, then you’ll be offered a place, provided you achieve the required result in your coming A-levels exam. But if you do extraordinarily well, they might even offer you a place without any prerequisite, which means that your A-Levels exam results will not have any influence, which is good, really. This is called a non-conditioned offer.
A former schoolmate of mine did fabulously well in Oxford interview and was extended a non-conditioned offer. However, it was just so unfortunate for him when the company that sponsored his tuition fees immediately withdrew him from all overseas institutions after he scored an E in one of the subjects and he had to accept his fate to continue studying in some local university, not in Oxford.
Upon hearing his news, I was left wondering what a fool the company had been, and how cruel the decision was. Ironically, it was the same company that I accepted an offer from to further my A-levels study abroad a few years after that.
By the way, in my case even though I could choose to apply for admission to up to 5 universities, I was not allowed to applied to Oxford and Cambridge University at the same time. So you’d have to choose one over another. In my case, I applied to Oxford University because Oxford was where most of my friends applied (duh…).
As Oxford consists of a number of colleges that make up the whole university, I was left wondering which college I should apply for. After doing some prospectus reading and asking around, I finally came down to choose a small college by the name of Somerville College. It was quite a nice place to be, and I liked the beautiful scenery and the nice people there.
To say the truth, being called up for Oxford interview was already a triumph. Yes, Oxford! At least I had my chance. I was so excited, yet at the same time nervous since I did not know what to expect what type of questions would be asked during interview. And it was one of my first experiences being interviewed by a foreigner. Early in the morning, where I guessed the interviewer would probably still in bed, I was already there waiting in the reception room, eager to impress myself.
It turned out that the interview session was some sort of a slaughterhouse for me. I was like a cow being tied up while the professor in front of me ready to slash my neck. To say the least it was nightmare. There was not much introduction going on - the first thing the interviewer asked me was my name. And that was only because it was a standard procedure to make sure they were interviewing the right candidate. Soon afterwards you would be down to business.
I vividly remember the interviewer asked me how to find out how much energy the cup of coffee standing on his desk would give him. It took me a while to start with. Even though I managed to make a start; I was clearly not progressing well to find the solution. After much waiting, the professor slowly guided me step after step on how I can solve the problem. At the end, with the help of the professor, I managed to come up with an answer. It was not a pleasant experience, but I learnt a lot. For me, this experience taught me even every body has a chance to gain a place in Oxford, not every one is qualified to be there. It took a high level of competencies, knowledge and sometimes luck.
I did not hear any offer from Oxford then.
At the same time, a good friend of mine applied for another college in Oxford, Mansfield College. For the past few years, the college has its own history to have accepted Malaysian students every year. So he was out to continue the tradition, to be another Malaysian accepted for Oxford next student enrolment. Incidentally, one of our high-school seniors was studying at that college, and through some tips, this friend learnt that it was normal for the interviewer to ask similar question year after year. So upon hearing this, he insisted on getting last year’s question from this friend and even the answer for that question.
I was not really sure what the question was, but it sounded something like this:
There is a glass standing on top of a piece of paper. You are needed to calculate how much force and speed you need to apply to the paper so that when you snatch the paper away, the glass stands still. I tell you what. He did get the same darn question!
He was duly offered a place at Oxford University. And I was not!

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Studying at Oxford University :: oxford university oxford university press

2008-12-29T10:57:00.001-08:00

I studied PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. I was fortunate to have a very good experience being taught by several of the top authorities. Some tutors were post graduates but they were also very helpful
At Oxford most teaching is done in tutorials with College professors. Usually the tutorials are 1 or 2 students per 1 tutor. This gives a unique opportunity to discuss essays and topics with your tutor. Often the tutor can be an expert in their particular field. I was quite fortunate in having many very good tutors sometimes your reading list had books by your own tutor. This was the case with Brian Harrison who taught me British social history since 1870.
The tutorials tend to last only 1 hour and you may only have 3 per week. So you are given a reading list the week before. It is then upto you to go and read the relevant books before preparing an essay. The tutorial is an opportunity to refine your arguments and understanding rather than be taught the material. It can be hard work getting through a long reading list. The trick is to be able to find the most relevant books. I used to read the introduction and conclusion before reading anything in between. It is good to learn the art of skim reading. Often you can find most of the answer in a small part of the book. In my first year I was using some A level textbooks to get a good overall standing before reading more complex books.
The tutorials may take place in your college but equally they may take place in other colleges, especially if your subject is specialised. I always enjoyed going to other colleges, especially colleges like Corpus Christi and St Johns.
In addition to tutorials the university also provides lectures usually during the morning. The standard of lectures in PPE were particularly good. But to be honest in my first year I never went to any lectures and I don't think I missed out on anything, (although I did only just scrap through Philosophy prelims). In the 2nd and 3rd year I do remember going to more lectures but only if they were good. The main thing with such a system of studying is that it requires a degree of self motivation.
The tutorial system at Oxford University may have to change in the future because of problems of receiving sufficient government funding (and other issues). This would be a shame.
Richard is an economics teacher in Oxford and is a member of the Sri Chinmoy Centre. Richard gives free meditation classes on behalf of the Sri Chinmoy Centre and enjoys writing articles on various topics which get published on his blog

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