Sunday Jan 22 2011

Much is being made about on line or hybrid education. One would think this is the first away from the classroom experience that has ever occurred. This is hardly the case. 

The Industrial Revolution of the 1820s and 1830s brought the need for professional training into focus. As Ben Franklin had created a post road system an industry of correspondence education quickly grew to meet the needs of the day. When one is reading a book at home or in the library or at a coffee shop, one is 'on line' and engaging in distance education. Ever think about that? Classes were conducted by television or more recently video taped lectures for years. A big chief tablet is an ipad without a battery, never needs charging. So what we are really talking about is a difference in delivery systems not concept.

You will determine your education outcome. Your use of the tools available will determine your success. Okay as I write the football games are about to come on. No doubt you may have a get together with friends  to watch. That is fine, now, when did you prepare for class tomorrow?

I got up early this morning like every morning and finished my market letter, I did my workshop proposal yesterday morning for the SWTLC and am meeting another prof this morning to discuss a joint presentation. You should have already finished your review for class tomorrow.

Most students however put this off until Sunday night, a poor plan if a plan at all. By that time your faculties are not what they were in early morning especially if you consume an adult beverage or two during the game. And you are obviously running out of time if you wait till then to start. And you cannot e mail me or anyone else for help at 10 PM sunday night, well you can e mail me but ….

it is necessary to have a time and place for regular study. Regular study means reading the book with an outliner in hand, outlining learning objectives, attempting problems, making notes in the margin, etc. 

Yes I have heard the stories about how millenials multi-task, I have not heard any evidence that this is a good idea. You need a quiet, well lit place to study without  interruptions

Plan for your success now, you will not regret it. 

Sat Jan 22 2011

Fellow Americans

You will recall that I came to office as an Independent, neither Republican nor Democrat. The Republican Party imploded when it was simultaneously wanted to cut taxes to zero, spend $1 billion on defense and invade Albania and Tunisian promising to do for them what we did for Afghanistan. Afghanistan began a Facebook page fidiculing Republicans pointing out that there was still no water one could safely drink even after American spent $1 Trillion improving Afghanistan, noting  however the stock price of United Technologies was up. 

The Democrat Party imploded when the Democrat controlled  state governments of California started paying their bills with Netflix coupons, Chicago paid police pensions with Chicago Style Pizza coupons, and New York banned all meat consumption at restaurants sending 227 MCD franchises in NYC into bankruptcy. 

Americans voted for change and that is what I bring you tonight. 

My plan, plain and simple, is as follows. 

My opinion on the income tax  is the same as Walter Williams, 

first we need to repeal the sixteenth amendment or whatever it was that allowed an income tax or we will have both, no good

second I agree with Tom Sowell that congress should be tied to 10% of GDP on what they can spend, no deficits, just like a state, a real budget

third, somehow tax law changes would have to be subject to national election to keep congress from tinkering with it, if congress gets more money they spend it foolishly

fourth a national sales tax is the only fair tax, consume less pay less, with a minimum  exemption for of course 'the poor'

fifth we spend a ridiculous amount of time and effort preparing tax returns, keeping records or lobbying for changes like this reparration

sixth if obama were serous about repealing regulations he would never put the regulation writers in charge of finding what they did that was a bad idea, bad english but you get the idea

So, repeal the income tax amendment, a national sales tax of say 5% that only a national election could change, no corporate income tax, no estate tax, no cap gains tax, let corporations deduct the dividends paid eliminating double taxation of dividend, let's see, no personal exemption for more than five to a family, if you want more kids you pay for them not me, 

how is that for a start, then accountants could help people make money by improving business instead of hawking tax schemes

AS for the Federal govt

The Education Dept does not educate anyone

The Agriculture Dept does not grow anything and has more employees than we have farmers

The Transportation Dept does not transport anyone

The Energy Dept does not produce Energy and gasoline is over three bucks

The Commerce Dept does not do anything I can reliably identify, nor could anyone at Commerce when asked

The Dept of Interior has nearly let Yellowstone burn to the ground, something that has never happened at Disneyland or Six Flags

I would 

cut all fed salaries 10-20% depending on pay level,for those that still have a job,  eliminate immediate vesting for congress and senate, they get the same Social Security and health care as the rest of us

to further save funds, Congress, the building is closed, from now on all 535 senators and Congress stay at home in their districts where their contitutents are and vote electronically

eliminate all Fed cabinet offices except the original four state, treasury, atty general, defense, all czars and appointed boards are gone, that's a start, stop SS for all under 45, sell western land and buy annuities for those 45-65, allow health care iras repealing obamacare

well that's a start….

The President

Friday Jan 21, 2011

You have probably discovered that you cannot access Connect, the homework bulletin board with McGraw Hill. I learned this afternoon in a faculty workshop that Connect is still being added to BB so that you can access it. Last semester the students needed a log in code which raised all kinds of problems. This semester the codes are being loaded without your involvement but that takes time. So Connect should be up this next week. 

Intermed students have their assignment on the Pastina Spreadsheet which is located in the content section of Black Board, It is not necessary to have the textbook as I included the questions on the spreadsheet. 

Cost students should read Chapter one and the accompanying questions, remember to use all resources on the textbook website http://www.mhhe.com/whitecotton1e. Be sure to access the Deming handout in the content section of BB. ReAd it and bring to class.

Ethics students please note that our class does not meet until January 29, regrettably this announcement did not appear on blue and gold. 

This semester we will also be requiring cost and intermed students to make a post on the discussion board about the power point, an article they read on the topic, or expanding on a point made in the chapter about a company. The point will be to get all students engaged chapter by chapter. Posting papers in the Ethics class is an integral part of the course. 

Thursday January 20, 2011

Attention Intermediate Classes

I usually do not post specific messages to the classes on the blog but since this is the start of a new semester, let's do that so all can benefit. I will repeat this message on BB and remind me to discuss a common spot to post, for example in BB announcements or say e mail to the class with your e mail addresses. 

at any rate I already have two helpful e mails from students, they are helpful because they give me insight to what you do not understand or know so that I can properly respond. 

One e mailer was frustrated that he could not find the links on BB, well if you are here you found them, they are on http://www.professorelam.typepad.com. I have the blog in the public domain so that it is accessible to all classes present past and future. Links are on the left. Good question I can understand the bewilderment what with multiple URLs. 

Another e mail related that the concept of the ten column worksheet was a new one for her. This is extremely helpful information to me. Now I know to spend more time on that topic Monday. And that caused me to look at Chapter Two in the Intermed text. By the way both classes of Intermed I and II are doing the pastina spreadsheet. 

And by the way, I an sure one can copy the answer from someone else and hand it in. Believe me this is a terrible idea. The main point of this assignment is not your final grade but to give you an idea of the big picture, more on that later, and for you to do a self assessment of what you know. Again it is imperative that you have a good foundation for later studies. Many church hymns and even Greek mythology stories refer to the importance of a good foundation, it is no accident this metaphor is hundreds and even thousands of years old. 

So please attempt to complete the spreadsheet by yourself. If you have not completed it by Monday that is not the end of the world. Bring your questions to class. .There is no such thing as a bad question, if you don't  know trust me others in the class are equally in the dark.  The point here is to get you to the point that you can complete it by yourself; the point is not to earn X points on homework by hurriedly copying someone else's work Sunday night at 10 PM, that is useless and serves no point whatsoever. I would much rather answer three dozen questions in class than have a stack of copied homework that no one really understood when they copied from someone else. This is a LEARNING  assignment. 

Now, the fine observation that the e mailer made, this spreadsheet thing is a new experience, is born out by looking over chapter 2. Chapter 2 in my humble opinion, is guilty of the same thing that you have no doubt experienced in principles of accounting, it fails to pull together what is happening. For example on page 62 that is  a general journal . But on page 63, it is not at all clear that each account number in the ledger is a separate account or in the 'old days' each would have had a separate account card used in the Burroughs posting machine. Indeed it would be quite helpful if I could re create an accounting office in 1976 and show you the ledger cards and their source documents. Understand that each ledger account is a separate account they are not all jumbled on the same piece of paper. Think of your wardrobe, it may all be in one closet but each piece, jacket blouse skirt is separate, so are the ledger accounts. 

Well more on this Monday.