The Shadow Scholar

The man who writes your students' papers tells his story

By Ed Dante

http://chronicle.com/article/The-Shadow-Scholar/125329/

Editor's note: Ed Dante is a pseudonym for a writer who lives on the East Coast. Through a literary agent, he approached The Chroniclewanting to tell the story of how he makes a living writing papers for a custom-essay company and to describe the extent of student cheating he has observed. In the course of editing his article, The Chronicle reviewed correspondence Dante had with clients and some of the papers he had been paid to write. In the article published here, some details of the assignment he describes have been altered to protect the identity of the student.

Few passages:

I've written toward a master's degree in cognitive psychology, a Ph.D. in sociology, and a handful of postgraduate credits in international diplomacy. I've worked on bachelor's degrees in hospitality, business administration, and accounting. I've written for courses in history, cinema, labor relations, pharmacology, theology, sports management, maritime security, airline services, sustainability, municipal budgeting, marketing, philosophy, ethics, Eastern religion, postmodern architecture, anthropology, literature, and public administration. I've attended three dozen online universities. I've completed 12 graduate theses of 50 pages or more. All for someone else.

You've never heard of me, but there's a good chance that you've read some of my work. I'm a hired gun, a doctor of everything, an academic mercenary. My customers are your students. I promise you that. Somebody in your classroom uses a service that you can't detect, that you can't defend against, that you may not even know exists.

You would be amazed by the incompetence of your students' writing. I have seen the word "desperate" misspelled every way you can imagine. And these students truly are desperate. They couldn't write a convincing grocery list, yet they are in graduate school. They really need help. They need help learning and, separately, they need help passing their courses. But they aren't getting it.

For those of you who have ever mentored a student through the writing of a dissertation, served on a thesis-review committee, or guided a graduate student through a formal research process, I have a question: Do you ever wonder how a student who struggles to formulate complete sentences in conversation manages to produce marginally competent research? How does that student get by you?

Of course, I know you are aware that cheating occurs. But you have no idea how deeply this kind of cheating penetrates the academic system, much less how to stop it. Last summer The New York Times reported that 61 percent of undergraduates have admitted to some form of cheating on assignments and exams. Yet there is little discussion about custom papers and how they differ from more-detectable forms of plagiarism, or about why students cheat in the first place.

After I've gathered my sources, I pull out usable quotes, cite them, and distribute them among the sections of the assignment. Over the years, I've refined ways of stretching papers. I can write a four-word sentence in 40 words. Just give me one phrase of quotable text, and I'll produce two pages of ponderous explanation. I can say in 10 pages what most normal people could say in a paragraph.

I've also got a mental library of stock academic phrases: "A close consideration of the events which occurred in ____ during the ____ demonstrate that ____ had entered into a phase of widespread cultural, social, and economic change that would define ____ for decades to come." Fill in the blanks using words provided by the professor in the assignment's instructions.

Following article is the response to the above and provides better insight into the problems with some outline for solutions:

Cheating and Academic Integrity: an International Perspective on ‘The Shadow Scholar’

By Francisco Marmolejo

http://chronicle.com/blogs/worldwise/cheating-and-academic-integrity-an-international-perspective-on-the-%E2%80%9Cshadow-scholar%E2%80%9D/27635?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Example:

University Ghostwriting Allegations Expand to Textbook Authors

http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/university-ghostwriting-allegations-expand-to-textbook-authors/28747?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

http://grassley.senate.gov/about/upload/Senator-Grassley-Report.pdf

Sabotage

"Postdoc Vipul Bhrigu destroyed a colleague's experiments (at University of Michigan) to get ahead. It took a hidder camera to expose a little-known, malicious side of science."

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100929/pdf/467516a.pdf

"This Paper Should Not Have Been Published"

Scientists see fatal flaws in the NASA study of arsenic-based life.

By Carl Zimmerhttp://www.slate.com/id/2276919/
The above article shows the ugly side of the academia, and bad competition. Would the competing group have not published it if they got it first? What about the small supply of nutrient that was neglected to give more importance to prove the use of arsenic as a nutrient?

"Too Asian" and hiring "International Faculty"

"Too Asian" by M. Ruse

http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/too-asian/30168

writes about his "concern" for too many Asian students at US and mainly Canadian Universities.

Few passages:

When they returned, one remark that went by without notice was that there seemed to be an awful lot of Asian students on both campuses. So, big deal. However, this is something which has rather blown up in Canada just recently. An article in the weekly magazine Maclean’s—the closest equivalent to Time magazine in that country—with the apparently provocative title that I used above, “Too Asian?” (Now changed on the Net to “The Enrollment Controversy”), has got a number of people very upset indeed, and questions have been asked in the nation’s parliament.

The article points out that some universities in Canada have a justified reputation for being heavy on Asian students—UBC, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo (in Southern Ontario and with a very well-deserved reputation in mathematics especially, as well as engineering). That this is out of whack with the general makeup of the population. UBC has over 40 percent Asian undergrads compared to a general ratio in Vancouver of just over 20 percent.

Not just Hitler but all of those distinguished white professors at Harvard who made very sure that the place was not overrun by the children of immigrants living in the Lower East Side of N.Y.C.

Hurdles to Hiring International Faculty

By David Evans

http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/hurdles-to-hiring-international-faculty/27823

Few passages:

Many of our strongest applicants have not been American citizens. We have recently hired a noncitizen, and our current pools suggest the real possibility that we will do so again.

I understand fully that there are good reasons for preferring to hire American citizens in most cases. Moreover, the United States has made a series of public-policy decisions that drive us in that direction whether we want to go that way or not. While there are also very strong reasons to hire international faculty, I do not dispute the priority on hiring citizens.

Farming Kicked Up Dust in West Africa

by Phil Berardelli on July 7, 2010 5:05 PM

Dust from the Sahara desert can warm the atmosphere, increase the production of clouds, and prolong drought conditions. Now, researchers have found evidence that intensive farming is responsible for a significant portion of that dust. Experts are cautious, but the connection suggests that factoring in dust production could lead to better global climate models.

The world's biggest sandbox is also its biggest source of airborne dust. The Sahara region's famous sandstorms also carry aloft tiny grains of minerals, pollen, and soil, which westerly trade winds can transport for thousands of kilometers. For example, a weather station in Barbados, in the Caribbean Sea, has been collecting dust samples from the Sahara ever since it started operating in the 1960s.

Atmospheric scientists have long known that dust from the Sahara influences precipitation and cloud formation over Africa by providing the solid nuclei around which water droplets can form. They also have assumed that the onset of commercial agriculture in the region nearly 200 years ago probably increased the amount of dust swept into the air, because previous research in other regions had suggested such a connection. But there has been scant historical evidence for the effects of agriculture on dust production.

Now researchers have collected sediments from an area of the eastern Atlantic Ocean called the Mauritania Canyon, which is about 100 kilometers off the coast of western Africa and downwind from the Sahel region, the southern portion of the Sahara. The team used the sediments, which provide a regional climate record going back about 3200 years, to track cycles of precipitation and drought in the Sahel. The researchers could do this, they explain in tomorrow's issue of Nature, because dust grains differ substantially in chemistry and size from the grains of sediment deposited by river runoff. So, they could identify any changes in precipitation by the proportion of dust grains to sediment grains—more airborne dust means less precipitation, whereas more runoff grains mean more rain.

Based on the data from the samples and the sudden appearance in sediments from the 19th century of particles from maize, mullet, sorghum, and groundnuts, the researchers concluded that the onset of agriculture in the region led to a spike in airborne dust, eventually more than doubling its concentration in the Mauritania Canyon sediment. That means there is "a considerable human influence on dust generation starting with the advent of commercial agriculture in the Sahel," says marine geologist and lead author Stefan Mulitza of the University of Bremen in Germany. Therefore, he adds, it's important "to further understand the role of African dust in the climate system and incorporate [it] into climate models."

Atmospheric chemist Joseph Prospero of the University of Miami in Florida agrees that further studies are necessary and important. One reason: researchers need to confirm that the dust/grain size differential between the land surface and river runoff is consistent. They'll need to sample sediments from more locations to rule out any unique local effects. Also, says Prospero, how much impact human-generated dust has on climate remains "an open question."

It's a "very important" paper because it's the first to show a large increase in dust in North Africa over the past couple of centuries, says atmospheric scientist Natalie Mahowald of Cornell University. She agrees with Prospero that verifying the correlation between the size of the dust grains and their source is essential. "We won't know the truth until we have more observations, similar to the one they present here," she says.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/07/farming-kicked-up-dust-in-west-a.html?etoc

NY city - the dirtiest city in America

Houston ranks as the 14th and LA ranks as the 3rd dirtiest city in America.

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-dirtiest-cities/31

Slideshow:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-dirtiest-cities/1

Who is to blame for your belly

5 Sneaky Weight-Loss Saboteurs

Most get-in-shape strategies are doomed before they begin. Here is how to identify (and eliminate) the hidden factors keeping you fat.

Posted by David Zinczenko on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 5:46 PM

When your boss says, "We're not here to assign blame," duck. But when I say you're not entirely to blame for your paunch, you're not off the hook. Nobody is the innocent victim of a drive-thru feeding. In fact, nearly one-third of people—especially men—admit to eating fast food regularly. Breaking the dine-and-dash habit is a start, but there are other sneaky factors—your friends, your family, your mindset—that can sabotage even the best weight-loss efforts. Here are five of the most notorious weight-loss saboteurs, and five simple strategies to overcome them. The time investment is minimal, but the payoff is huge: a stronger, thinner you in just a few short weeks.

Saboteur 1: Your stress

Stress can spike levels of the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to store fat. "Unfortunately, some people appease their anxiety by reaching for fatty foods," says Elissa Epel, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco. Eating boosts insulin levels; combining that with cortisol leads to greater fat deposits. More stress, bigger belly.

Fix your head: Identify the type of stress you're under. Is it temporary, like a bar exam, or more permanent, like your job? Short-term stress will pass. Long-term stress may require a permanent solution, like a new job.

Fix your routine: Make healthy eating effortless. Buy snacks that won't send insulin levels soaring: high-fiber energy bars or single-serving bags of almonds or cashews. Fifteen minutes of explosive activity—hitting a speed bag or jumping rope—can alleviate anxieties after work. "It's about getting the tension out," says Jim Karas, author of The Business Plan for Your Body.Click here for 52 more ways to control and conquer stress.

Saboteur 2: Your significant other

I do not suggest blaming your husband or wife for your belly. This would be (a) wrong and (b) a reasonable defense at his or her trial for taking your head off. But know this: Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that men and women usually gain six to eight pounds during the first two years of marriage. "Once you're married, the need to impress is gone," says Edward Abramson, Ph.D., author of Marriage Made Me Fat. You may go to the gym less often, go out for meals or to parties more frequently, and develop new rituals, such as sitting on the couch with your husband or wife and snacking.

Fix your head: Regain that need to impress. Imagine what that girl (or guy) at the gym thinks of your gut—or what he or she would think if you had abs. As for that snack with your significant other, ask yourself, “Why am I eating? Boredom? Habit?” Better yet, ask him or her to stop bringing binge foods into the house.

Fix your routine: Establish healthful rituals. Instead of Access Hollywood after dinner, take regular walks, or play H-O-R-S-E in the driveway. (P-I-G might work better.) Exercise suppresses appetite. Cool down with Italian ice (120 calories per cup) instead of ice cream (290 calories per cup).

Saboteur 3: Your friends

Buddies can make or break a diet or workout plan, whether it's unconscious scarfing of nachos during the game or the lure of pumping beers instead of iron. Worse, many people will deliberately try to sabotage your diet, just for sport. Want a cookie?

Fix your head: Admit you need support. "Let people know how to help you, and many will," says Beth Kitchin, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Fix your routine: Eat a protein bar before meeting friends, so you’ll feel fuller. Drink a glass of water for every glass of beer. And recruit a friend to diet or work out with you. Having someone to answer to is the best enforcement plan, but if you need some extra incentives, check out our list of20 reasons to lose 20 pounds.

Saboteur #4: Your kids

The presence of children in a household increases the likelihood of tempting junk food in the cupboard. Some of it ends up in adult mouths—either directly while snacking or in the form of stray nuggets and fries left over by finicky kids. "I call this 'trolling,'" says Lawrence Schwartz, author of Fat Daddy/Fit Daddy. "If you're prone to troll, the easiest thing to do is to avoid the Happy Meal altogether."

Fix your head: Grow up. Think: The sugary snack that a child will burn off with an hour of fidgeting will haunt you as a fat deposit. Read the nutrition label on any snack before unwrapping it. Realize the importance of setting a good food-and-exercise example.

Fix your routine: Make junk food a once-a-week thing—designate Friday as Twinkie day. Instead of standing on the sidelines to watch your son's game, make fitness a family thing by volunteering to coach, ump, or referee. And when you go out to eat, follow our list of 10 top swaps for weight loss to please your palate without padding your waist.

Saboteur 5: Jimmy Fallon

Cut late-night TV from your daily routine. Not getting enough deep, non-REM sleep inhibits production of growth hormones, which might lead to premature middle-age symptoms—abdominal obesity, reduced muscle mass and strength, and diminished exercise capacity. In short, you become Homer.

Fix your head: "Mentally disengage yourself before you hit the sack," says Karas. Don't plot a staffing re-org before bed.

Fix your routine: Exercise in the morning or afternoon, says Eric Nofzinger, M.D., director of sleep neuroimaging research at the Western Psychiatric Institute. Evening workouts may leave you too stimulated to sleep. Establish a ritual that signals to your body that the day is over 30 minutes before bedtime—turn off the computer, read, stretch, or set the TV volume low.

http://health.msn.com/blogs/get-back-in-shape-post.aspx?post=1757615&GT1=31036