Reading Comprehension : StereoTypes

A stereotype is a fixed idea that people have about what specific social groups or individuals are like, especially an idea that is wrong. Other terms that are associated with the term stereotype are prejudice and cliche. The term has a Greek origin: stereos means solid or firm and typos mean blow, impression, engraved or mark. The term was first used in the printing business. The first modern English use of the term was in 1850, meaning "image perpetuated without change."

1. Stereotype: a belief or idea of what a particular type of person or thing is like.
   
2. Prejudice:an unseasonable dislike and distrust of people who are different from you in some way, specially because of their race, sex, religion, etc...
3. Cliche:a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
4. Firm:a business concern, especially one involving a partnership of two or more people.
5. Blow:an action or event that causes difficulty or sadness for someone
6. Engraved:to carve (cut) words or designs on metal, wood, glasses, etc...
7. Perpetuated: make something continue to exist for a long time.

Because stereotypes are standardized and simplified ideas of groups, based on some prejudices, they are not derived from objective facts, but rather subjective and often unverifiable ideas. As Sociologist Charles E. Hurst states* "One reason for stereotypes is the lack of personal, concrete familiarity that individuals have with persons in other racial or ethnic groups. Lack of familiarity encourages the lumping together of unknown individuals".

• lumping : a small piece of something solid.

The existence of stereotypes may be explained by the need of groups of people to view themselves as more normal or more superior than other groups. Consequently, stereotypes may be used to justify ill-founded prejudices or ignorance and prevent people of stereotyped groups from entering or succeeding in various activities or fields. The stereotyping group is, generally, reluctant to reconsider their attitudes and behavior towards stereotyped group.

• consequently: as a result (SYN: therefore)
  
• reluctant: unwilling or hesitant.

Reading Comprehension: How to be a good cizen ?

Citizenship is a sacred honor, a plaque we carry proudly on our chests and a burden pressing hard on our backs. A citizen is a member of a country. He has the right to ask for its protection, and the duty to protect it and obey its laws and rules. In other words, citizenship is the relationship between an individual and a state in which the individual belongs, and owes allegiance to the state and in turn is entitled to its protection.

• Plaque: a piece of flat metal, wood, or stone with writing on it, used as a prize in a competition or attached to a building to remind people of an event or person: 
• Burden: something difficult or worrying that you're responsible for
• Allegiance: loyalty to a leader, country, belief etc...

Fortunately, being a good citizen doesn't stop at the exchange of rights and duties, it requires a lot of civilized behavior, and responsible acts.
All the members of our community, from the youngest to the eldest, have to cooperate. By cooperating, I don't mean giving huge efforts. Simple acts and easy behavior can help us ameliorate our level of life. As citizens, and students in particular, all we have to do are the steps below:

• Ameliorate: to make a bad situation better or less harmful.
• Start with your own home, clean it regularly, and take care of your front door area.
• Being a good neighbor by caring about others."    Don't overuse water and electricity.
• Respect your neighbors, help them if necessary, and act politely.
• Don't litter, or throw trash in the street.
• Litter: waste paper, cans etc... That people have thrown away and left on the ground in a public place.
• Don't spit in the street, it doesn't only bother the other passers-by, but it also affects your discipline, and it's very far from being civilized.
• Try to cross the street in the crossing passage. The town will look organized, and it lowers the level of accidents.
• Let's try to walk in the sidewalk, or the pavement, because it causes fewer difficulties to drivers in the city.
• Respect your school, especially its doors, walls and windows. They are not yours; you only borrow them for a year or more.
• Being a citizen is a source of pride. Don't try to ignore your origins in front of foreigners. Have you ever seen any of them deny being who s/he really is?
• Act nicely with tourists. If we want our country to receive millions of tourists, try to be nice.
• If you can study about your country, it would be great. See the extreme diversity you have (the desert, the sea, the mountains, the different dialects, the traditions, the traditional clothes).
• If you don't vote, who will? A simple act can place the right person in the right place.
• In emergencies, don't be afraid. Help the people in need. (Blood donations, call the police, the ambulance, and help a lady in the street...) Imagine you were in their place; wouldn't you like to have other people standing by your side?

When you become a parent, teach this to your children. Citizenship starts from childhood, and only ends by the time you die. It's only by practicing those really simple acts that our daily life can get better. I hope this will help us understand another meaning of good citizenship.

Reading Comprehension : Reassessing the impacts of Brain Drain on Developing Countries

Brain drain, which is the action of having highly skilled and educated people leaving their country to work abroad, has become one of the developing countries concerns. Brain drain is also referred to as human capital flight. More and more third world science and technology educated people are heading for more prosperous countries seeking higher wages and better working conditions. This has of course serious consequences on the sending countries.

• abroad: in or to a foreign country.
• prosperous: rich and successful.
• wages: money you earn that is paid according to the number of hours, days or weeks that you work.
•  consequences: something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions.

While many people believe that immigration is a personal choice that must be understood and respected, others look at the phenomenon from a different perspective. What makes those educated people leave their countries should be seriously considered and a distinction between push and pull factors must be made. The push factors include low wages and lack of satisfactory working and living conditions. Social unrest, political conflicts and wars may also be determining causes. The pull factors, however, include intellectual freedom and substantial funds for research.

SQL Server : How to generate a sequential number

In order to generate a sequential number in SQL Server, you can use the keyword 'ROW_NUMBER' in its correct format as follows:

1. type in the keyword 'NOW_NUMBER'
2. follow it by the keyword 'OVER', it takes two parameter:
1. The first one is to  indicate the column in which you want to reset the sequential number based on
2. The second is the order of that data in which the sequential number come along with.
3. Note: The fist parameter is optionally whereas the second is manadatory.
3. give an alias for the column using the keyword 'AS'

As an example how to generate a sequential number in SQL Server, look at the following example:

SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY ColumnName ORDER BY AnotherColumnName) AS ColumnAlias


References:

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms186734.aspx
• Training Kit (Exam 70-461) Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012