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Michael Gumbrell

Todays the day

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Today is the abseil day. 315 feet or 103 meters down the Spinaker tower.

I have been leant a go pro to record the abseil from my safety helmet.

So the will be a film of me doing it.

Should be fun.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me.

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Michael Gumbrell

revision

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so i have now been going through the books for my revision program.

I have been going through each introduction and conclusion, then revisiting the chapter to revise key points, just a couple of more days for that and then it is onto a week of practising writing short and long answers to the specimen and 2016 exam paper.


Only 9 days to go before the exam gets done.

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Michael Gumbrell

Centrism

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Here is the link to my latest specialistgeneralist.net blog:

https://thespecialistgeneralist.net/2017/05/21/centrists/

The blog deals with the current general election and a fledgling political party in the U.K which hopes to offer a Centrist alternative to the political agenda in the U.K

I hope you follow the links to the Centrist UK page and have a look through their materials.


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Michael Gumbrell

getting on with revision

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So I bundled all my flashcards up by block and published them on my blog:

www.thespecialistgeneralist.net

I included some other musing about the relationship between states and globalisation and Weber theory on the 'legitimate use of violence'

Now I really must motivate to revise from the module books...


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Michael Gumbrell

snap election word bingo card

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I made this for the local micro news site I volunteer for,

The 2017 snap election word bingo card...

What's your score?


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Michael Gumbrell

Thats it for the flash cards

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I am calling it quits now with the flash cards.

Time to move on to revising the module books this weekend and the website modules after that.

I hope that my fellow students who i shared the flssh cards with found them in some way useful.

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Michael Gumbrell

Block 5 flsh card 4 transnationalism versus suprainternationalism

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is it transnational or suprainternational?

You decide... with the help of this flash card for block 5, globalisation.


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Michael Gumbrell

block 5 flash card 3 international relations with a thunderbirds theme

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I think I only have 2 more flash cards to do, then I will just get on with revising from the module books. It might be well time to move on, I gave this latest flash card a thunderbirds theme because it looks at International Relations. My focus might be starting to slip, only two more to go though.....


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Michael Gumbrell

block 5 flash card 2

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now for the second flash card about globalisation.


Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Tuesday, 16 May 2017, 18:48)
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Michael Gumbrell

DD211 block 5 revision flash cards

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So now I move onto the final taught block of DD211, block 5 globalisation.

I am still finding it good revision practice to make these, and am sharing them with some of my fellow students who attend tutorials with me.

Here it is block 5, flash card 1 Globalisation:


Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Tuesday, 16 May 2017, 18:35)
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Michael Gumbrell

Final Lijphart flashcard: leadership

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Here is my final flash card for DD211 block 4, this one deals with leadership within lijphart defined liberal democracies.


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Michael Gumbrell

Thank you for viewing.

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While i did not use this blog during April, the view counter kept on ticking along.

So this blog is about to hit 3000 views, which i am very proud off.

So thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my blog and thank you to all the people who have left comments.

I am going to try to add video material on here as well at some point, once my exam is done and we enter the study free summer months.

Thanks again 

Mike

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Michael Gumbrell

Is it okay to be a member of mensa

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Edited by Michael Gumbrell, Saturday, 13 May 2017, 22:22

Is it okay?

I sat the 3 hour mensa IQ test last week. I did not tell anyone i was doing it. I thought that it would become a giant piss take and people would think i was arrogant and a 'know it all,.

So i got my results letter today, i scored 132 and got into mensa.

I told the family, much piss was taken... which is fair enough, i love them and they have the right to take the piss..

But it does make me wonder, is admitting to being in mensa something to be proud of, or a reason for people to mock you. Does even thinking that way make me abit on an arse?

I was initially pleased but now wonder if it is a mistake?

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Michael Gumbrell

Lukes and Lijphart

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Here is the flash card that ties Lukes (block 2) with Lijphart ( block 4)


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Michael Gumbrell

Creating the infographics for revision.

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I am really enjoying making the infographics for revision. For me it is a good revision tool, I am able to produce them without referring from the module materials, I only check what I have produce against the module materials to correct what I have produce, so I must be retaining the info quite well.

I am about half way through producing the flash cards, I have 2 more to do for block 4, Lijphart's model of liberal democracies. Then I will move onto 4 cards about globalisation.

That should mean I can take sound knowledge of 4 of the 5 blocks into the exam, and then once there, I can decide on the structure and themes of my short and long answers, depending on my confidence in producing short and long answers to each block themes.

Well that is the plan anyway.......

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Michael Gumbrell

Lijpharts model applied to the UK and US systems

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Here is the infographic that applies Lijpharts model of liberal democracies to the UK and US democratic systems.


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Michael Gumbrell

Lijphart continued

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Slide 2 for block 4 lijphart flashcards


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Michael Gumbrell

Lijphart

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Onto Block4 of DD211 now, revision on Lijpharts models of liberal democracies.

Here is the first flash card, an overview on Lijpharts themes.


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Michael Gumbrell

Ideology of Liberalism

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Ideology of Liberalism. it has a spelling mistake, Liberals usE not liberals us the above. also i am stopping here with ideology, i would only ever carry it forward to the exam as a short answer. i don't have time to do each ideology in relation to welfare, nor make a infographic for feminism or environmentalism. I am moving onto Lipjhart and his modules of Liberal democracies next. so sorry Simon Banks van Zyl but it's 4 flash cards only for ideology.


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Michael Gumbrell

Ideology: Conservatism

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Here is the flash card for the Conservative ideology, what I made, ideologies on welfare not included...


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Michael Gumbrell

Ideology: Socialism

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Here is the flash card for the ideology of socialism (excluding the ideology of welfare).


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Michael Gumbrell

Block 3 revision infographics

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Here is the ideology flash card infographic for block 3: Ideology.

Again, just making this was a great revision activity.

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Michael Gumbrell

Block 2 revision infographics.

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those of you who follow my blog will know I am a big fan of infographics.

I decided to produce some for my revision study of DD211.

so I have posted them here, if any one is interested, I would be very proud if any one else used them in their own revision program.

Just producing them was a very good revision activity.

Lets start with Block 2: Political concepts.

Freedom:

Equality

Power

I found it very useful to produce these, a act of revision in itself.

Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Monday, 8 May 2017, 17:25)
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Michael Gumbrell

no blog for April

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Edited by Michael Gumbrell, Sunday, 7 May 2017, 16:05

I did not do any blogging here in April.

After a long illness, caused by industrial illness, asbestos, my father passed away on the 5th of April. So many things to think about and do during the month of April.

We were fortunate to be supported by some wonderful NHS staff during my fathers final days, I thank them for that.

so I did not climb mount Snowdon on the 19th of April, my fathers cremation was on the 20th in Portsmouth, so I did not fancy the 5 hour drive each way under the circumstances.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me, I will still be abseiling down the Spinaker Tower on the 28th of May. So I hope every one who has sponsored me is happy for the money to carry forward tot he abseil.

My final TMA was very difficult to write, the deadline was the 18th of April. So I did not score well, the essay was written under very difficult circumstances and to be honest, I really did not care much about the sure, under the circumstances.

So now I have done the ICMA and will finally finish with the exam on the 6th of June.

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Michael Gumbrell

First 5 days of sponsorship

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Edited by Michael Gumbrell, Sunday, 7 May 2017, 15:55

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far in my 'what goes UP, must come DOWN challenge.

5 days into fundraising I have raised 54% of my target, the target was £ 500 and so far people have been kind enough to sponsor me for £ 265.

This is the link to my page if you want to sponsor me, thank you for the kindness if you do:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/michael-gumbrell4

I bought some new walking boots this morning, ready for my march up mount Snowdon. that gives me two weeks to wear the boots in before I walk up the mountain in them.

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