Entrepreneurs, Homeless People, and Art

Greetings,
There's an interesting article in the New York Times.  It involves entrepreneurs who are helping homeless artists:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/business/smallbusiness/homeless-artists-gallery-artlifting.html?src=me&_r=0

While many homeless people aren't artists and this won't solve everyone's problems, it does give artists an opportunity to sell their art.  Interestingly, the company that facilitates bringing homeless artists and art buyers together is not a charity.  This is a business model.  Artists are getting paid for their work and art galleries discover new talent.

Writing a Dissertation

Greetings,
One of the more interesting aspects of graduate school is the emphasis on writing large papers.  Compared to most graduate school research, the dissertation is in a class by itself.  Here's an article featuring some of the steps to writing a successful dissertation:
https://chroniclevitae.com/news/1273-your-dissertation-begins-in-your-first-seminar

If you're interested in graduate school, it's a good idea to think about writing a dissertation and whether or not it's the sort of research that interests you.  As the article above notes, many people write long papers in graduate school yet the dissertation is something else entirely.  That's not to say that there's anything wrong with writing large papers.  In fact, if you've developed good writing skills on lengthy papers and wish to further your education, graduate school may be something worth considering.  It's also important to note that every graduate school program is different.