Evaluation Of An Initial Assessment - 952 Words

Initial Assessment The initial assessment was conducted in an EP’s office where Mrs. G. Patterson felt safe and comfortable, ensuring her current anxiety was acknowledged to develop trust. Effective communication and engagement was the priority, utilising patient-centred interviewing skills to build rapport, show empathy and ensure Mrs. G. Patterson was an active participant through the assessment phases. Person centred engagement was paramount ensuring possible barriers are identified and reduced, enabling the building level of trust and rapport using transparency, repetition, resources and patience (Stanton et al. 2015). Subjective Assessment Mrs. G. Patterson’s undertook an initial assessment screen tool, a series of directing†¦show more content†¦Information gained from the referral, General client-specific information, General information required to participate in a physical activity program. Comprehensive medical assessment: including previous injuries, surgeries, medications and medical interventions not associated with diagnosis. Objective Assessment Information gathered during the objective assessment are based on the observations of Mrs. Glenys Patterson and all assessments selected from the subjective interview, general observations and justified using clinical reasoning. Assessment tools utilised: Body Composition: †¢ Weight, Height, BMI, Waist, BF% (BIA) o Client goal is weight loss, therefore require a baseline measure against which progress can be assessed. o Client is sedentary, has put on weight, and being severely obese has high risk factors for the development of several chronic diseases and secondary health conditions. Gait, Balance and Functional Mobility: †¢ Timed Up and Go, assesses client’s functional ability and can also provide information regarding gait pattern. †¢ Balance Assessment, double leg stance and progress to single leg stance. †¢ Mobility Assessment (Community Balance and Mobility Scale). †¢ Independence inShow MoreRelatedEvaluation Of An Initial Self Assessment1545 Words   |  7 PagesThe purpose of this paper is to complete an initial self-assessment to determine both educational and academic background. I will also recognize strengths and potential weakness recognized in components of management and leadership roles that I have worked in over the course of my nursing career. Descriptions of the characteristics indicated from the Jung typology test by Humanmetrics, Inc. will be included in the analysis. Education My academic nursing education includes receiving my registeredRead MoreArchitecture Assessment Method And Assessment Methodology Path1399 Words   |  6 Pagesfunctions the system must have. From those initial required inputs the architecture generation process can begin. The initial architecture representation and a tree of attributes will be generated by the architect in conjunction with the stakeholder’s consensus. The final architecture is the end result of the architecture assessment model method and the Key Performance Attribute (KPA’s) system performance evaluation. The architecture assessment method and assessment methodology path is represented in FigureRead MoreEvaluation Of A Formal Referral1691 Words   |  7 Pagesdetermine if an evaluation is warranted and the scope of that evaluation. Typically learning, psychological, and social assessments are ordered. Additional evaluations that may be ordered include speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychiatric, and/or neurological assessments. If the parent attends the initial determination meeting and evaluations are warranted, the parent can sign consent at that time or refuse. The school district has 90 calendar days to complete the evaluations, and if eligibleRead MoreThe Evidence Presented In The UnitS Ir, Addendum, Observations1063 Words   |  5 Pagesacross the university to broadening their involvement on unit committees and in the unit decision-making process. Some of the newly formed committees are: the Unit Wide Steering Committee, Unit Wide Assessment Committee, Unit Wide Advisory Committee, Field Experience Advisory Committee (FEAC), Unit Assessment Committee (UAC), Secondary Education Committee, and Teacher Education Council (TEC). The unit has also clarified their involvement with their school partners through formal agreements. Unit partnershipRead More1 Strategic Planning, Learning Theory, and Training Needs Analysis1314 Words   |  6 Pagescrafted to mee t this need. Only after the design is complete are the instructional materials developed. During development, individual and group tryouts of the materials are conducted. Results are iteratively fed back into design and development. Evaluation is a central feature of ISD and is performed in each phase. The phases are: Phase 1: Analysis –Determine if training is the appropriate solution; if so, define training requirements Phase 2: Design – Define objectives, design the training programRead MoreThe Ethics Of Ficer1177 Words   |  5 PagesEthics in Enlisted Evaluations The definition of ethics, reads as a complex of moral precepts held, or rules of conduct followed by an individual (dictionary.com, 2014). Non-commissioned officers and officers in the Army, find themselves facing ethical dilemmas on a daily basis. Some dilemmas are minute in nature, while other dilemmas force Non-commissioned officers and officers into making questionable decisions. The Non-Commissioned Officer Evaluation Report, or NCOER, is one of the most prevalentRead MorePtlls - Assessment Methods1080 Words   |  5 PagesSam Groombridge Question: Explain the main types of assessments and explain how you conduct or could conduct an initial assessment of learners Assessment is one of the main resources of learning. It is key to understanding and developing for both teacher and learners. Here are the different methods of assessments and how I would use them in my organisation. Initial Assessment: this method comes into play the minute the group of learners are introduced to a new teacher. It is a crucial part ofRead MoreEvaluation Of A Student Program1330 Words   |  6 PagesIEP or has an IEP. The IEP team discusses the student’s progress and the effectiveness of the RTI. . If a student needs an IEP, then there are steps to take before creating an IEP. First, student is referred for evaluation. This occurs through reaching top of RTI, or parent requests evaluation. Second, student is evaluated to identify disability. Third, the IEP team meets to determine eligibility. Fourth, the IEP is developed. Fifth, both the IEP team and special education teacher inform the parentRead MoreTeacher Assessment And Assessment913 Words   |  4 Pagescapacity of educators and their ability to use computer software to run analyses but also to competences such as formulating research questions, isolation of relevant data outputs, interpreting results and effective ly developing and using classroom assessments (Marsh and Ikemoto, 2006). Instructional leaders ought to know how to use data and evidence to inform decisions associated with learning, more so when those decisions become standard practice (Martin et al 2016). In the light of seemly widespreadRead MoreLink Between Autism And Noonan Syndrome1135 Words   |  5 Pagescharacterized as a formal assessment. They were as follows: The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- Revised, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and Test of Problem Solving skills. For speech and language evaluation specifically, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Revised was given. (Ghaziuddin, Bolyard, Alessi, 1994) Wilson and Dyson (1982) targeted speech and language characteristics of children with Noonan Syndrome. They used the following assessments to evaluate the speech and

My Dream, My Future Free Essays

My Dream, My Future Do you pay attention in how fast time goes by? Before we realize, time has passed by and all the dreams we had for our future have not yet come true. The reason is because our dreams are just dreams and haven’t yet become goals. Life is no Nintendo game. We will write a custom essay sample on My Dream, My Future or any similar topic only for you Order Now You live only once. Therefore, we must fulfill those precious one called Dream during the rest of our short Life. As for me, I have my own dreams too. If you ask me this in my childhood, I would say: â€Å"I want to be a teacher†¦ I want to be an actor†¦ and so on†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . But if you ask me now, I will tell you I have three major dreams. First, I want to graduate this school with the Best grades ever! So, my parents can be proud of me. Second, I want my life to be colorful and beatific. Enjoying life doesn’t waste money, we should use many to do some significative things. For instance, we can contribute our money to help the poor and homeless children, we can travel to somewhere to see the nature scene, we can buy book or collect your interested things to enrich our life, we also can have time to play with your family. Third, I want to travel all around the world. I have always been curious about other cultures and the differences between people in other countries. It would be amazing to travel the whole world. Just realize that you are Riding an Elephant which is the Biggest terricole being, or standing on the Highest spot of magical Pyramids in Egypt, or maybe wandering Deep in the sea and seeing unidentified creatures. Furthermore I would love to bungee jump or swim with sharks, experiencing life to the limits. In the future I may have new dreams, but the first goal I have to achieve is getting my diploma. This is one of the keys to accomplish my other goals and dreams. After becoming a professional, I want to start a family, one lovely wife and maybe three children’s and have one beautiful cozy home to raise my kids and grow old with the people I love the most. I hope to achieve†¦ Written by: B. Davaasuren How to cite My Dream, My Future, Essay examples

Childcare Level 2 Unit 1 D5 and B1Assignment free essay sample

D5-explain how to prepare to work in a placement with children. Before starting placement it is important to prepare for it because it will help you get the most out the placement â€Å"before starting placement it is important that you prepare yourself in every aspect. †(Class hand out). you can prepare for it by finding out about the placement, what to wear, time of arrival, and name of supervisor. You can ask your placement provider or from the setting’s website; in the placement you should know what you hoping to achieve by undertaking placement. It is very good to find out about the setting you will work in because then you will have a clear idea of what to expect; you need to have knowledge about children and have a professional way of working with children and others and also it will be good if you set some goals before starting placement which may help you stay focused and you will also be able to make the most of opportunities that may arise while you are in the placement. We will write a custom essay sample on Childcare Level 2 Unit 1 D5 and B1Assignment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page B1-explain why the first impressions that you make in the setting are important. It is very important to give first impression in a appropriate way; because most of the people try to guess the personality right from the first impression and they act according for e. g. Some people may give first impression very bad like dressing up, way of talking â€Å"remember that your perceived personality is also judged by your physical attributes and how you present yourself to the people. †(www. exforsys. com accessed on 28th Nov 09) but with the passage of time you may come to know that they have an opposite personality and they gradually change. Same way there are some people who give first good impression and you may like them in the early stages but later on they may change and have a opposite personality for. e. g. narrow minded,impernent,negative thinking, pessimistic. Despite of all that it is very important to give first impression in a good way and act accordingly throughout the time because it is very hard to change the first impression and you have to make the people think positive in optimistic way; because the first impression invites others to come closer to you and to know more about you. So before starting placement it is very important for you to give first good impression in order to create a good relationship with the staff; you can do this by preparing yourself in every way so you don’t give bad impression and you can do this by finding out about the setting so for that I choose these two explanations. What to wear *black sensible shoes *straight black trousers by finding out the dress code you will be able to show that how interested you are and also that you are aware of safety. Who is your supervisor? *what their job is *how to address them *how they teach the children *the dress code *name of the supervisor *what duties you’ll be expected to do. This show how reliable you are and will help people to talk openly with you and to trust you. That is why first impression is very important because people decide and make opinion about you in the first impression. So it is very important to give a nice first impression to win their hearts.

Use tables or graphs to illustrate the price stability performance of Japan Essay Example

Use tables or graphs to illustrate the price stability performance of Japan Essay Japans economic slump, which began with a stock market crash in 1989, now lies in its fourth recession in ten years. The Asian banking and financial crisis has had a profound effect on this, the second largest economy in the world. Japanese under performing banks are carrying Yen150 trillion ($1.3 trillion) of bad loans. State-run corporations are dragging productivity down, unemployment is rising and Japanese consumer confidence remains low. Macroeconomic policy is proving highly unstable as Japans illness that of deflation remains predominant. Price stability is defined as the sustained absence of both inflation and deflation. (Mc Aleese: p.294, 2001). Further economic agents can make decisions regarding economic activity without being concerned about the fluctuation of the general price level. Along with effective fiscal policy, the control of government spending, low unemployment levels, controlled interest rates and hence inflation rates, macroeconomic policy is maintained. The most serious aspect of Japans economic sickness is deflation. Japans paralysis, where ineffective control measures have had many negative results, will now be discussed. Price Stability: We will write a custom essay sample on Use tables or graphs to illustrate the price stability performance of Japan specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Use tables or graphs to illustrate the price stability performance of Japan specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Use tables or graphs to illustrate the price stability performance of Japan specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Price stability, or rather instability in Japans case, is characterised by the prolonged presence of deflation. The stock market is hovering around a 19 year low. The Nikkei 225, the most commonly used Share Price Index, had stood at 14 times the Dow through the 1980s. However in February 2002 it dropped below the Dow Jones Industrial for the first time since 1957. Japans persistent decline in the general price level is again indicated by the Consumer Price Index. Prices have shown a 1% fall per annum. These falling price levels have increased real debt burdens. National debt stands at over 130% of GDP (www.economist.com). Also Japans banks are chronically weak and burdened by duff loans of Yen37 trillion, about 7% of GDP. So Japanese banks have been left carrying excess bad loans, forcing them to cut lending. Together with depressed consumer spending it has proved impossible for the Bank of Japan to deliver the negative real interest rates that the economy needs to revive demand. Interest rates in Japan stand at virtually 0%. However most companies are not investing but paying down their debts (mentioned above). This adverse impact on investment is also due to the fact that real long-term interest rates in Japan have reached high percentages. The fact that interest rates stand at zero has kept inefficient firms afloat and delayed restructuring. This has contradicted Japans bust advantage. Structural adjustment and creative destruction can prove positive outcomes of negative fluctuations. However, rigid labour and product markets, along with the Japanese keiretsu relationship have hindered the weeding out of inefficient firms. Simultaneously, low interest rates have led to low inflation rates (-0.6% in 2001). This has reflected weak demand and thus the economic slowdown. These supply-side factors, such as the intensification of global competition and deregulation, have put additional downward pressure on prices. This is contributing to the high debt ratio and subsequent price destruction. This bout of recession and deflation has not only had negative impact on CPI, share prices, investment and inflation but also on property prices. Since 1991, commercial property prices have dropped by an average of 84% in Japans six biggest cities (www.economist.com). Housing demand has also collapsed since 1996. Analysis: It remains evident that Japans economy lies in uncertainty, where consistent unstable price performance has given rise to the lost decade. Its current situation comprises of internal factors (e.g. buyer uncertainty) and external factors (e.g. the U.S. current bubble burst). These counter-cyclical variables have had the following negative effect the decrease in economic activity in Japan has led to the increased unemployment rate (+5.3%), bankruptcies, non-performance loans etc. Analysing Japans current prolonged crisis, it becomes evident that it displays attributes of Keynesian economics. The existing shifts in aggregate demand, the low rate of investment and price rigidities, all clearly display this. Price stability is an indispensable prerequisite to ensure sustainable development of the economy (Masaru Hayami, Governor Bank of Japan). 77 year-old Mr. Hayami however has failed so far to deliver such a position. This political paralysis, where political resistance to reform is demonstrated, is hindering Japans recovery. Again, the current Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi (elected April 2001), who unveiled a series of economic reforms has met with little success against this rigid political system, resistant to reform. Furthermore his termination of Makiko Tanaka (his Foreign Minister) in January 2002, along with his lack of co-operation with Economics Minister, Heizo Takenaka, has left Japan still in search of a cure. Is there Evidence of Inflation or Deflation in Japan at the moment? What problems might be associated with very low inflation or deflation? Deflation is defined as the persistent decline in the general price level of goods and services1. The most common measure of inflation statistics is the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In Japan, this has fallen at a rate of about 1% since 1999. If the GDP Deflator is used this deflationary trend can be traced back to 1995. The difference between potential and actual GDP is called the output gap. This is another indicator of price stability (or instability). Price stability is defined as the sustained absence of deflation (falling prices) and inflation (rising prices). It is fundamental to the second pillar of the new consensus, macroeconomic stability. Therefore policy makers welcome disinflation and low inflation. Owing to the bias2 in constructing CPI indices, an inflation rate of 0-2% has become acceptable. There are certain costs of changing prices regardless of whether these are due to high inflation or deflation. There is a loss in efficiency as menu costs and shoe leather costs are incurred. Additionally, the necessary fiscal and monetary policies required to attain stability are costly. More specifically, why is deflation problematic? Initially, falling prices seem like a good thing and people feel as if they have more money in their pockets to spend. Even those on a fixed income, (state pensions, social welfare) benefit from an increase in real income. In spite of all this, the far-reaching contagion effects of deflation mean it is a phenomenon to be avoided. Rather than spending more on the goods, which they can now afford, a continuous fall in prices means that consumer and investor spending actually slows down. Consumers and businesses are reluctant to buy goods, which they expect to drop in value in the near future. Such speculation curbs investment and saving increases. In an effort to encourage borrowing for investment, nominal interest rates fall and approach zero. Since the nominal interest rate is the opportunity cost of holding money, savings further increase. This fall in investment demand and activity retards economic growth. Furthermore, since the nominal interest rate cannot fall below zero, the real interest rate will always be positive. In times of deflation, the burden of debt therefore increases. It would seem that lenders gain and borrowers lose. The problem for lenders occurs when debt rises too high and borrowers cannot afford repayments. Banks who earn profits through loan repayments cannot attract big borrowers. T his type of debt deflation is the main problem in the Japanese economy today but is also reminiscent of the Great Depression in the 1930s. In times of low economic growth, it is typical to lower the currency value thereby making exports more attractive to foreign investors. However, the low nominal interest rates induced by deflation have caused foreign demand for the Yen to rise. The Yen remains strong and exports remain relatively expensive. On the whole, wages are accepted to be ratchet. This means that even if prices are falling, the nominal wage rate will not fall. Higher debt repayments and squeezed profits mean that the pressure on companies to cut costs is twofold. This leads to a Darwinian shake-out as companies see job cuts as the only option to save on costs. Deflation is clearly at the root of Japans failing economy. Policy makers must now look to the formulation and implementation of an effective plan to fight deflation if there is any hope of a recovery.

Should You Prep for the PSAT 3 Reasons Why

Should You Prep for the PSAT 3 Reasons Why SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Even if prepping for the SAT or ACT isn't the most enjoyable of activities, it's easy to see why it's important to do well on these tests. Depending on your point of view, SAT and ACT scores are either tools that colleges use to help figure out if you're a good match for them and if you'll succeed at their schools...or are admissions gatekeepers that you have to conquer if you want to attend most American colleges*. By contrast, PSAT scores are never seen by colleges. Even if you get a perfect score on the PSAT, it's really only useful for helping you qualify for a National Merit Scholarship- something that only US citizens and permanent residents are eligible for. So why prep for the PSAT, and what do you need to know about PSAT prep if you're interested in trying it out? Keep reading to find out more about the pros and cons of focused PSAT prep (rather than joint PSAT/SAT prep) and what our PSAT prep recommendations are. *exceptions include test-optional schools and Hampshire. Why Take the PSAT? While the SAT (or ACT) is far, far more helpful to college applications than the PSAT, there still are good reasons to take the PSAT. We'll start with the most important reason: if taking the PSAT is required by your high school. If The PSAT Is Mandatory in Your School In some high schools (particularly public high schools), the PSAT is mandatory for all students. Sometimes, this just means that you'll have to take the PSAT NMSQT the fall of your junior year. Depending on your school, however, you may also have to take the PSAT NMSQT or PSAT 10 sophomore year, and indeed some students start taking PSAT-like-exams (PSATLE?) as early as 8th grade with the PSAT 8/9. Dealing with all these extra standardized tests is kind of a pain as a student, but from the high school's point of view, the PSAT is a good way to see if students are on track for college applications. No matter what point of view you look at it from, though, if it's mandatory to take the PSAT at your school, then you'll have to take the PSAT. What if, though, you don't fall into this category? Perhaps you could take the PSAT but you'd have to go to a different school to take it, or your school offers the PSAT but doesn't require students take it- should you take it anyway? In these cases, the PSAT is still worth taking for the following two reasons. Taking the PSAT Is Mandatory to Qualify for National Merit You may know that another name for the PSAT students take in the fall of 11th (and sometimes 10th) grade is the PSAT NMSQT (or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test). That's because the only way to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship is through taking the PSAT NMSQT as a high school junior. National Merit Scholarships are merit-based (rather than need-based) awards given to students who have (through testing and other factors) qualified as National Merit Finalists. The competition for National Merit is open to high school students who: are enrolled and progressing normally towards graduation (basically, you plan to graduate high school in four years, not more or less) plan to enroll full time in college the fall after high school (no gap years!) are US citizens or US lawful permanent residents planning to become citizens We'll discuss the different kinds of scholarships you can win by becoming a National Merit Finalist (and what steps beyond the PSAT you need to take to become one), but for now, just know that if you want to win a National Merit Scholarship, you must take the PSAT NMSQT in your junior year and do extremely well. The PSAT Is Great Practice for the SAT Taking the PSAT can be a great low-stakes way to see what taking a college entrance exam will be like. You can treat it as an extra chance to get used to standardized testing without having to worry about the scores affecting your college acceptance. Learning how you react to extended periods of focus on a test, how stressed you feel doing a math test without a calculator, what the time pressure is like- you can gather tons of different data points for future SAT/ACT prep by taking the PSAT. There are fewer and fewer schools these days, even among top-tier colleges and universities, that require all SAT scores sent (notable exceptions include Yale, Georgetown, UC Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon), so if you have the time and money, you can take the real SAT just to see what it's like and not worry about your scores. However, in most public high schools, taking the PSAT is free- or at least significantly cheaper than the SAT- and its administration is built into the school day (no need to waste half a Saturday). Bottom line: the PSAT is a fine way to dip your toe into the waters of college entrance tests at low cost but under realistic conditions. Dip your toe into the water of college entrance exams with the PSAT and the sands of standardized test experience will follow. PSAT Prep vs. SAT Prep: What's the Difference? While there's a lot that remains the same between the PSAT and the SAT (including the subject areas covered and test structure), there are a few major differences between the tests that lead to differences in PSAT prep compared to SAT prep. The most important difference between the two tests is that PSAT scores are not looked at by colleges, whereas SAT scores are very much an important factor in college admissions. It's possible to argue that colleges might consider your being a National Merit Semi-Finalist when looking at your application, which indirectly relates to your PSAT score, but the SAT vastly outweighs the PSAT in importance when it comes to college admission. Because of this, PSAT prep is lower stakes than SAT prep. Another key difference between the PSAT and SAT is that the PSAT has no essay section. While the SAT essay section is optional, and more and more schools are making it optional to send SAT essay scores, there are still a number of schools (mostly highly selective colleges) that do require you to take the SAT with the essay. Therefore, students prepping for the SAT and aiming for a high score to get into top-tier schools will need to spend some of that prep time learning how to write a high-scoring SAT essay. By contrast, students studying for the PSAT don't need to bother with essay prep. Overall, the PSAT is also a little easier than the SAT, both in terms of timing and content covered. With the exception of the Writing and Language section (which has the same number of questions and is the same length on the PSAT as on the SAT), there are fewer questions per section on the PSAT than the SAT. While you have the same time per question on PSAT Reading as on SAT Reading, there are fewer questions on each passage; and both PSAT Math sections give you more time per question while asking fewer questions than the SAT Math sections do. The cumulative result of these timing differences is that you need slightly less endurance to take the PSAT than the SAT- you only have to concentrate for an hour and 45 minutes instead of two full hours. Combined with having more time to answer each Math question, these timing differences between the PSAT and SAT mean that when prepping for the PSAT, you don't have to get as good at time management as you do for the SAT. Finally, there are subtle differences between the content covered on the PSAT and SAT. As we mention in this article comparing the PSAT and SAT, there may be slightly fewer big picture and inference questions and more detail-finding questions on the PSAT than on the SAT. In addition, the PSAT Math sections contain proportionally fewer questions that require geometric and trigonometric knowledge than do the SAT Math sections. Instead, PSAT Math includes more questions (compared to SAT Math questions) on the Passport to Advanced Math topic areas, like functions and linear and nonlinear systems of equations. Your PSAT prep will reflect this difference- instead of having to cover the SAT's harder topics (that you may not have yet learned in school as an 11th grader), you can spend more time perfecting a smaller number of skills. Now that we've discussed why you should take the PSAT at all and the differences between prepping for the PSAT and the SAT, we'll move on to the debate of whether or not to prep for the PSAT. Why Do PSAT Prep? With the College Board offering free SAT prep through Khan Academy and ACT, Inc. offering paid ACT prep, it's become pretty clear that even the testing companies themselves admit that prepping for the SAT and ACT will help you get a higher score. Because the PSAT is just a slightly easier, slightly shorter version of the SAT, it makes sense that you can prep for the PSAT and increase your score the same way you can with the SAT. Since PSAT scores aren't used in college applications, however, it can be harder to figure out whether or not it makes sense for you to prep for the PSAT. To help you decide, we've laid out the arguments for the three most compelling reasons to spend time prepping for the PSAT: qualifying for National Merit, focusing on one thing at a time, and getting ready for SAT prep. Reason 1: Qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship The number one reason students take the PSAT is to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. We have a more detailed breakdown of how the National Merit Scholarship process works in this article, but basically what happens is that you take the PSAT NMSQT in the fall of your junior year to see if you can score well enough to become a National Merit Semifinalist (which is the first step on the road to becoming a National Merit Finalist and getting a National Merit Scholarship). As a National Merit Finalist, you can win a National Merit scholarship, a scholarship from your college, or a corporate scholarship. For more info on how to get each type of scholarships, read this article explaining how you can qualify for and win a National Merit scholarship. Let's now go back to the first step of the process, which happens when you take the PSAT NMSQT in the fall (usually October or early November) of your junior year. Your PSAT score qualifies you for National Merit depending on whether your score passes the cutoff for your state. The cutoff isn't announced officially by the College Board, but it can be inferred from students receiving notification that they have or haven't become a national merit semifinalist. You can find out what your state's National Merit cutoff score was last year here. By taking an official PSAT practice test or by comparing your sophomore year score on the PSAT to the cutoff score for your state, you can get a good idea of how much prep you'll need to score high enough to pass your state's cutoff score and become a National Merit Semi-Finalist. Aiming for a National Merit Scholarship but worried your score won't qualify? If you're not sure you can self-study your way to a qualifying PSAT score, you'll love our PSAT prep program, PrepScholar. We designed our program to learn your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics and customize your prep to be as effective as possible for you. When you start with PrepScholar, you’ll take a diagnostic that will determine your weaknesses in over forty PSAT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program specifically customized for you. To improve each skill, you’ll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over 20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses, so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score. We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them. If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it. There’s no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get better score results than any other program on the market. Check it out today with a 5-day free trial: Reason 2: Focusing on One Test at a Time Because PSAT prep and SAT prep are so similar, many students who are aiming for National Merit either go straight to studying for the SAT as prep for the PSAT or try to study for both tests at once. Whether or not this is effective really depends on the individual student. Some students thrive by multitasking. Whether it's doing homework while listening to music and eating dinner or preparing to take multiple SAT subject tests on one day, these students get good results when they maximize their time by doing multiple things at once. For other students, however, having to prep for multiple things at once (particularly if they're academic or test-related things like the PSAT and SAT) is so stressful that it leads to poorer performance on everything. As an example: during college, I had multiple assignments I had to hand in at the end of each finals period. Rather than work a little on each assignment each day, I found it more effective for me to focus on one project at a time and get it out of the way before going on to the next. Similarly, depending on what kind of student you are, you may find that it's more helpful to start out by focusing just on the PSAT, getting that over and done with, and then moving on to study for the SAT. This "one thing at a time" strategy works well for students who have some time during sophomore year or the summer before junior year to set aside specifically for PSAT study. CAUTION: If you're just starting to study the fall of your junior year and your prep time is limited, you're better off going straight to SAT prep. If you have to choose between PSAT prep and SAT prep, the clear choice is SAT prep. It's only if you have the time to do both that you should consider prepping for the PSAT and SAT separately. If you're feeling overwhelmed by everything you have to do for college applications, it can be helpful to prep for one test at a time. Reason 3: Getting in Gear for SAT Prep One other benefit to prepping for the PSAT is that it put you in a good place for SAT prep. As we discuss in detail in this article comparing the PSAT and SAT, there are very few content differences between the PSAT and SAT (the main difference being in the math concepts covered and the increased length of the SAT). By prepping for the PSAT, you'll be more than 75% of the way there for the SAT. You won't be able to get away without doing any SAT-specific prep (particularly for those math topics that aren't on the PSAT), but the amount of work that you'll have to do is way less than those starting on SAT prep from scratch. If the "doing more prep now means less hard prep later" argument isn't convincing, think about it in non-test prep terms. Imagine that you want to learn how to play the piano by the end of junior year of high school. You have the option of learning how to play an electric keyboard first or just starting straight on the piano. Also, for some reason there's an electric keyboard competition the fall of your junior year that could lead to you winning money; it's only open to people playing the electric keyboard, though (not people playing the piano). Because the electric keyboard and piano are so similar, if you do start out by just teaching yourself to play the electric keyboard (what the notes are, how to read music, how to do different things with your right and left hands at once, etc), you'll be most of the way there to learning the piano; all you'll have to get used to is the bigger range and using the pedals. Or in test-prep terms, if you prep for the PSAT, you'll just need to learn any pre-calc math you hadn't learned when you took the PSAT and work on time management and endurance in order to prepare for the SAT. What if you're already studying for the SAT, or don't have the time to first study for the PSAT and then for the SAT? Going back to the analogy, if you already know how to play the piano, then you don't need to do intensive prep to teach yourself how to play the electric keyboard- you just need to do a practice test to make sure you get used to playing on a simpler instrument. Or in the case of the PSAT/SAT, if you've already studied for the SAT, you just need to take a PSAT practice test to make sure you're all set for that. Basically, if you prep for the PSAT, it'll help you prep for the SAT; if you're already prepping for the SAT, that will also prep you for the PSAT. While we've gone over some of the reasons students might want to prep for the PSAT, there are also cases in which PSAT prep is unnecessary and pointless. We'll get into these cases in the next section. When PSAT Prep is Unnecessary As we mentioned above, the main reason to take the PSAT (other than your school forcing you to take it) is to qualify to apply for a National Merit Scholarship. If you're not interested in qualifying (or are ineligible) for that National Merit Scholarship, then there is no point in doing pure PSAT prep. That doesn't mean you can't prep at all- you just should jump right into prepping for the SAT (or ACT) You can still treat the PSAT as a chance to take an official standardized test and get used to what sitting and concentrating for that long at once feels like, but there's no need to prep for the PSAT in particular. Another important point that we touched on earlier is that prepping for the SAT will help you with the PSAT. If you start to prep for the SAT before your junior year (when you'd take the PSAT NMSQT), any SAT prep you do will also prepare you for the PSAT. Of course, if you're not prepping for the SAT effectively, then you won't prep for the PSAT any more effectively. But, assuming you're putting in time and effort in the right way, if you're already prepping for the SAT, there's no need to do additional PSAT prep. Summary: Is PSAT Prep Right for You? Whether or not it makes sense for you to prep for the PSAT specifically (instead of just prepping for the SAT) depends on a few different factors. We've put these factors into a checklist you can go through below to see if prepping for the PSAT is the right call for you. Should You Study for the PSAT? YES, if... NO, if... You're hoping to qualify for National Merit You don't care about National Merit You work better when focusing on prepping for one test at a time You're already prepping for the SAT anyway You want to get a head start on prepping for the SAT but don't want to prep for the SAT because you haven't learned all the math you need to know for it yet You don't have the time and just want to focus on SAT prep If you checked off all "No" answers, there's no need to do any PSAT-specific prep; instead, you should turn all your prep energies toward studying for the SAT (or ACT). However, if you checked off any of the "Yes" reasons, then it's worth thinking about doing some prep for the PSAT in particular. What's Next? Doing well on the PSAT is just the first step to winning a National Merit Scholarship. Find out how the whole process works with our complete guide to becoming a National Merit Finalist and winning the scholarship. The PSAT NMSQT is only offered once each year in the fall, but what date is it this year? We tell you when the PSAT is and when you'll get your scores in this article. Curious what the PSAT looks like? Want to try your hand at a practice test? We have a complete list of all the free official practice tests the College Board has released here. Want to improve your PSAT score by 150 points? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Biography on a Classmate

He currently goes to Hicks High School, where his mother graduated from. His dad, however, did not go to Hicks, but instead went to a high school in Georgia. Besides his dad, his other family members have went and graduated from Hicks. He enjoys going to school at Hicks. He likes going to learn about new things from all of his teachers. While talking to some of his classmates about him, I have learned a few things. Some say that he a very quiet guy and that he should work as a security guard for Abercrombie amp; Finch. Others say he is a good friend and funny once you get him to talk to you. Joycelyn, however, said, â€Å"Jody is very quiet in class, but outside of school when he does talk he is very funny. He also never gives anyone any trouble, and is a very easy guy to get along with. Unlike most of the guys that out there. † So if you know him out of school, then you would say that Jody is a good guy to talk too, but in school he won’t talk to you very much. He likes to play sports at his school. Jody plays baseball and runs cross country. They are the two favorite sports that he likes to play. He likes to run cross country, so that by the time it gets to baseball season he will be in shape. He also likes to run cross country because it helps get some frustration and anger out of his system. The sport that he loves the most is and will always be baseball. Ever since he was able to pick up a baseball he has played. Throughout the years and with the guidance of his cousin Aaron, saying â€Å"he would never be as good of a baseball player as he was,† must have paid off. He and his team won the Class C State Championship for the thirteenth time in 2011. Whenever he and his team won the thirteenth Class C State Championship, they experienced the best feeling that they could have ever felt in life so far. The baseball team was pretty excited about playing in the championship game again, since the last time they played the got beat out in the semifinals. Early that morning some of the cheerleaders went and set up signs along highway 28, while the baseball team ate their game-day breakfast. These were signs wishing the boys good luck and to bring home the thirteenth title for our school. When they saw what the cheerleaders had done, they told us thank you and that it made them want the championship more than ever. On the way there, they got themselves pumped and ready to play some ball. Whenever the game started, some of the cheerleaders and fans were already pumped up and cheering them on. It must have help because in the first few innings they got a big lead against Family Christian Academy. Then they started to relax and act like they had the game in the bag already. Most teams would have given up if they were in Family Christians situation. Family Christian, however, wasn’t giving up that easily. Instead, they stayed calm and fought back. Top of the ninth, Hicks was still ahead. One of our guys on the field messed up and they scored one or two runs. That gave Family Christian some faith and energy to score more runs. Two outs this would be Family Christians last batter if Hicks could get the last out. With one of their better hitters up, he swung and missed. †Strike one,† says the umpire. Our pitcher takes a few breaths, and pitches again. â€Å"Ball one,† says the umpire. The count being 1-1, Coach Gary had to make a decision. Try to get the batter to chase after something, or to let our pitcher pitch his game and pitch another strike. â€Å"Ball two,† says the umpire, now they had no decision on whether or not to pitch a strike or ball. Here comes the pitch, swung and hit to third baseman, Ty Helton. With the game on the line, Ty fielded it without any bobbles and threw to toward first baseman, Ty Williams. Ty Williams barely could think straight, knowing that if he dropped this ball and they lost the game, his teammates and coach would be upset with him. Ty ended up catching the ball and getting the last out, to end the game 10-9. As a fan of that game, I would have loved to get a picture of all the players faces after getting the last out and being astonished that they had won the thirteenth state title for their school in Class C. Like always, at the end of the game Hicks did a dog pile in the middle of the field. The joy and astonishment that was in those players will never be forgotten by them. Last year, however, they didn’t do too well. They ended up losing out second round playoffs against Converse, 3-2. This year coming up should be an awesome year for them, and they should go far. Besides going to school and playing baseball, he likes to hunt, go four-wheeler riding, hang out with his friends, play video games and also spending time with his family. Over the summers Jody and his family have traveled to all of the states, except for Hawaii and Alaska. He hopes to one day be able to explore the other two states and see how much different their way of living and how their cultures and beliefs are different from the southern states. While he was growing up he loved spending time with his grandpa. I have never heard of anyone that reminds me of him. The reason why is because his grandpa has owned more than 50 trucks at most since he was born. I would definitely think that out of all of his family members his favorite three family members would be his mom, grandpa, and his cousin Keith. The reason I would say this is because Keith played in the National Football League and of course his mom because she has always been there for him. As for his other family members, he does appreciate having them and loves them very much. When he’s around them though, his true personality comes out. He goes from being shy and not talking very much, to him being very sociable and acting like he enjoys them being there for him and having them as company. Once he warms up to the strangers and starts to get to know them a little better he won’t be as shy. His future plans are to graduate from high school, but basically to live life every day to the fullest because you never know when you last day may come. After graduating from high school, he doesn’t know what he wants to do as far as the type of job that he may want or that he may be good at. He also plans to live in Hicks, Louisiana near his parents live. He hopes that one day he may get his dream car, which is a Roadrunner, with the money from whatever job he may get. Whatever other plans he may discover or think of after high school will enable him to obtain and succeed. If Jody would apply himself to things more in school or in life, like he does in baseball he will be able to succeed in the job area or profession that would suit him well and also allow him to make him a good bit of money.

Airline Sales Plunge Blame Low Fares Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Airline Sales Plunge Blame Low Fares - Essay Example Unlike the demand curve, the supply is positively related to the price hence the higher the price, the higher the quantity supplied to the market. At market equilibrium, the quantity demanded is equal to the quantity supplied hence there is absence of excess demand or excess supply in the market (Wessels 28). The quantity demanded is determined by several factors which include the income levels of the consumers, the price of the commodity, the price of related commodities, the future expectations of changes in price and the population. The quantity of commodity supplied in the market is determined by the price of the commodity, technology and the prices of inputs of production. The supply is also determined by subsidies and government taxation (Wessels 58). This paper will discuss the airline sales plunge which may have been blamed on the low fares. The paper will examine the effect of the recession on the airline industry. Research questions and methodology The paper will answer the questions on what were the causes of decrease in the quantity demanded of airline tickets. The paper will also answer the question on the effect of the fares charged on the cost or price which was actually paid by passengers. The paper will review articles on the impact of low fares on profitability of Airline industry during the recession. The airline passenger sales revenues declined by 19 percent in September year-to-year which was not attributed to lack of business but the low passenger prices for the fares. The number of passengers who travelled during the period also declined slightly by 2 percent according to the Air transport association while the average price per one mile of flying declined substantially by 18 percent (Smith 2). The scenario can be explained by the low demand in the airline industry. The fees which started to be charged on services which came free initially include the checked baggage fee, pet travel, non-alcoholic drinks and food. The extra fee accumulat ed to $ 1.15 in 2009.bsome of the major carriers like U.S Airways, Delta Airlines and Continental Airlines gained about $ 10 surcharge revenues for holiday travels while maintaining their normal fares. The decline in Airline industry profitability was also affected by the increasing prices of crude oil (Smith 2). The decline in the quantity demanded of the Airline industry fares during the recession can be attributed to the decline in consumer income levels. A reduction in the income levels would lead to reduction in the quantity of goods demanded especially goods which are not basic. The recession led to decrease in the number of tourism travels and other leisure related travel hence the Airline industry had to lower their prices in order to attract and retain customers during the recession. The low fares partly attracted demand since the passenger volumes fell by 2 percent but it negatively affected business profitability since prices of inputs like crude oil increased. The prices of other related transport services like ship transport did not increase hence the airline industry had to lower their prices so as to maintain their customer base (Smith 4). The recession negatively affected the global economic and business environment whereby major multi-national companies scaled down their operations hence the volumes

Epidemiology and Public Health Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Epidemiology and Public Health - Research Paper Example The monarch lives in Buckingham Palace. Parliament meets in Westminster Palace. The borough has an important railroad terminal (Paddington). In Westminster are the administrative offices of the British Broadcasting Corp.; London's chief shopping district; Harley St., a center of medical practice; and a clothing industry. Westminster School is a leading public school, founded in the 14th cent and reestablished by Queen Elizabeth I in 1560(Encyclopedia). Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Saint James's Palace, the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery, the imposing Central Mosque, the Imperial College of Science and Technology, St. James's Park, Hyde Park, parts of Regent's Park and Kensington Gardens, Mme Tussaud's waxworks, and Kensal Green Cemetery, resting place of several literary figures are other notable features of the borough of Westminster (Encyclopedia) . The data on population other demographic variables of the borough of Westminster have been collected from the office for National Statistics. For the purpose of the course work these data have been rearranged and presented by means of a pyramid (Figure 1.1). The data belong to the period of 2006 and it mainly exhibits the data relating to male and female and their age group. The following table (Table 1.1) and the pyramid (Figure 1.1) exhibits the entire data in a more comprehensible way. Table 1.1- Sex-wise Demographic Data Age Group Male Female Total 0-4 5900 5800 11700 5-9 4600 4500 9100 9-14 4000 3800 7800 15-19 5300 5100 10400 20-24 10800 12600 23400 25-29 15400 16800 32200 30-34 15700 13700 29400 35-39 12200 9500 21700 40-44 8900 7800 16700 45-49 6700 6400 13100 50-54 5000 5400 10400 55-59 5600 5900 11500 60-64 4300 4800 9100 65-69 3300 3600 6900 70-74 2800 3400 6200 75-79 2400 2800 5200 80-84 1600 2200 3800 85 + 1200 2000 3200 Table no.1.2 Population for Westminster, 2006 Age Group Males Females 0-4 5900 5800 5-9 4600 4500 10-14 4000 3800 15-19 5300 5100 20-24 10800 12600 25-29 15400 16800 30-34 15700 13700 35-39 12200 9500 40-44 8900 7800 45-49 6700 6400 50-54 5000 5400 55-59 5600 5900 60-64 4300 4800 65-69 3300 3600 70-74 2800 3400 75-79 2400 2800 80-84 1600 2200 85+ 1200 2000 Total 115900 116000 Total Population 231900 Table 1.3: Resident Population Estimates by Age Group and Sex Westminster Borough MALE FEMALE Age Group Population Total Percentage Age Group Population Total Percentage 0-4 5900 115900 5 0-4 5800 116000 5 5-9 4600 115900 3.96 5-9 4500 116000 3.87 9-14 4000 115900 3.45 9-14 3800 116000 3.27 15-19 5300 115900 4.57 15-19 5100 116000 4.39 20-24 10800 115900 9.31 20-24 12600 116000 10.86 25-29 15400 115900 13.28 25-29 16800 116000 14.48 30-34 15700 115900 13.54 30-34 13700 116000 11.81 35-39 12200 115900 10.52 35-39 9500 116000 8.18 40-44 8900 115900 7.67 40-44 7800 116000 6.72 45-49 6700 115900 5.78 45-49 6400 116000 5.51 50-54 5000 115900 4.31 50-54 5400 116000 4.65 55-59 5600 115900 4.83 55-59 5900 116000 5.08 60-64 4300 115900 3.71 60-64 4800 116000 4.13 65-69 3300 115900 2.84 65-69 3600 116000 3.10 70-74 2800 115900 2.41 70-74 3400 116000 2.93 75-79 2400 115900 2.07 75-79 2800 116000 2.41 80-84 1600 115900 1.38 80-84 2200 116000 1.89 85

Canadian Politics Essay Example for Free

Canadian Politics Essay Some historical theorists say that the dissimilarities between America and Canada are established in the Revolution of America, a subject that dominated most studies in the history of Canadian. With the creation of the US, the core founders of the US supported republicanism, refusing the Westminster structure of parliamentary democracy. Republicanism that inspired Americans pressured independence, an aversion to corruption, and innovation, counterbalanced by an apparent need for loyalty to public duty. Many Americans in planning a unique American path, freighted, and therefore refusing, a sturdy nation, which is central government. This paper looks into the different ways to which the Canadian political structures differs with those of the US. America and Canada are both governed under constitutions; Canadas constitution is partly conventional and partly written, and that of the US fully codified. The ultimate interpreter of the constitutions of both countries is their own supreme courts. Nevertheless, the High Court of the US has a more stretched history of constitutional implementation than the High Court of Canada. Canada’s Constitution contains of Acts of both the legislature of the UK and the National Assembly of Canada, but because of the Canadas federalism, several Acts of regional parliaments like the lawmaking Assembly of Ontario. The Constitution was altered in 1982, at which the Canadian Charter of Rights, Freedoms and amending formulas were included. The other one basic concept on these differences is the dissimilarity between the US congressional system and the Canadian parliamentary system. More differences occur from the legal/political perception of division of powers and the authority of the head of state. The President of the US is the head of government and head of state, while Canada’s Prime Minister is not head state but only head of government (Charlton, 1998). Another distinction is the Governor General and his or her cabinet ministers- also playing roles as legislators, represent the combination of power in Canada’s system, with the part of the monarch. Ministers of the crown are normally directly elected by their respective electorates known as ridings who advise the monarch or the Vice Governor General on how to practice his Crown authority and as Members of the legislature in the Canadian House of Commons. Even though neither the Governor general nor monarchs are lawfully required to select his or her cabinet Members from the House. This indicates those in charge of executive duties also contribute as legislators in the policy discussions and lawmaking process features of their duties as Members of National Assembly. By contrast, the US president has no official duty as a legislator, but only implementing and enforcing laws passed by Congress. The President of the US contributes in only informal, occasional, gatherings with Senators and Representatives. Only formally, addresses once in a year in the two term of his Presidency the gathered houses of the Congress, the Cabinet, and the Justices of the High Court of the US (James, 2004). The checks and balances in Canada are very opposite from those in the US, it can be debated that within Canada that the Prime Minister has additional authority than the US President. Canadas executive and legislative branch draw from each other, the viceroy hardly uses their powers without the consent of the Prime Minister. This only occurs from situations brought on by constitutional crisis. To ensure the firmness of government, the Governor must always select for his Prime Minister a member who has the biggest group of followers in the Canadian Common House. The Prime Minister must resign or order the General to call for an emergency election or be forced out by the governor general if a big number of the house vote against the government on serious matters of the country. The Prime Minister of a marginalized government is in a much dangerous situation than any United States president, which his presidency term is secured by the law. Often times of cohabitation are also there in the US known as divided government. Happens when different group than the White house directs congress. The President has incomplete control over the members of the House and must regularly make deals for there support. This leads to a stalemate that greatly slows down the law-making process (Charlton, 1998). It is known that the lack of individual identity which characterizes the resulting efficacy of the combined policy activity of the individuals participating in, and influencing the progression of, the US separation-of-powers system in contrast to the personal identity that characterizes the resulting efficacy of the aggregate policy activity of individuals participating in, and influencing the progression of, the Canadian fusion-of-powers system that truly makes this distinction meaningful. An example (putting federalism aside, arguendo) would be the one political actor in Canada responsible for motivating national defense policy decisions for Canada, the Minister of National Defense, contrasted with three(the Secretary of Defense, and the two chairs of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and House Committee on Armed Services) sometimes adverse political actors responsible for the direction of national defense policy Centralization of power in Canada has some benefits and legal responsibility when matched with the United State system. A good line of authority/power showing to whom the government is accountable for any particular duty Unlike the U. S. (James, 2004). There is also the issue of political parties whereby the Canadian House of Commons has seats for four political parties while US has only two political parties in Congress. Both Canada and the US use first post system to elect their representatives. This type of a system can sometimes exaggerate regional interests and disparities, e. g. Dixiecrats and Quebec of the southern. The meltdown of progressive Conservation party and the rise Quebecois party changed the political field in Canada. At the past only two parties dominated federal politics like the US, these parties were the Progressive Conservatives and the liberals, the Liberal held power for most of the 20th century until they were known as Canada’s natural governing party. Different from the US, Canadian third parties have always been able to get Members of parliament elected into the National Assembly since 1921, at times succeeding one of the two main parties as Her Majestys Loyal Opposition or forming casual coalition governments (Paul, 1992), In my opinion there are great differences regarding the way political cultures in Canada and the US. This is clearly shown on how the different political institutions in both countries are being managed and the structure through which these institutions are developed. Therefore, it would be appropriate for one to say that the Canadian political culture is not and has never been Americanized even though there are some aspects of similarity in other government structures References Charlton, Barker (1998). Crosscurrents: Contemporary Political Issues Edition 5. ITP Nelson, Michigan Collins, Richard. (1991). Culture, communication and national identity: The case of Canadian television. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. James Bickerton, Alain Gagnon (2004). Canadian politics. Broadview Press, New York John C. Pierce, Nicholas P,(2000). Political culture and public policy in Canada and the United States: only a border apart? Edwin Mellen Press, Michigan Paul Attallah (1992), Richard Collins and the Debate on Culture and Polity, Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol 17, No 2 Nelson Wiseman (2001) Pathways to Canadian Political Culture consensus, Retrieved on 14th March 2009 from www. ubcpress. ca/books/pdf/chapters/2007/insearchofcanadianpoliticalculture. pdf

The Fish Gone Fishin :: Bishop Fish Essays

The Fish  - Gone Fishin' "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop is saturated with vivid imagery and abundant description, which help the reader visualize the action.     Bishop's use of imagery,   narration, and tone allow the reader to visualize the fish and create a bond with him, a bond in which the reader has a great deal   of admiration for the fish's plight.   The mental pictures created are, in fact, so brilliant that the reader believes incident actually happened to a real person, thus building respect from the reader to the fish.   Initially the reader is bombarded with an intense image of the fish; he is "tremendous,"   "battered," "venerable," and "homely."   The   reader is sympathetic with the fish's situation, and can relate because everyone has been fishing. Next, Bishop compares the fish to familiar household objects: "here and there / his brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper, / and its pattern of darker brown / was like wallpaper;" she uses two similes with common objects to create sympathy   for the captive.   Bishop then goes on to clearly illustrate what she means by "wallpaper": "shapes like full-blown roses / stained and lost through age."   She uses another simile here paired with descriptive phrases, and these effectively depict a personal image of the fish. She uses the familiar "wallpaper" comparison   because it is something the readers can relate to their own lives.   Also the "ancient wallpaper" analogy can refer to the fish's age. Although faded and aged he wit hstood the test of time, like the wallpaper.   Bishop uses highly descriptive words like "speckled" and "infested" to create an even clearer mental picture.   The word "terrible" is used to describe oxygen, and this is ironic because oxygen is usually beneficial, but in the case of the fish it is detrimental.   The use of   "terrible" allows the reader to visualize the fish gasping for breaths and fighting against the "terrible oxygen," permitting us to see the fish's predicament on his level.  Ã‚   The word frightening does essentially the same thing in the next phrase, "the frightening gills."   It creates a negative image of something (gills) usually considered favorable,   producing an intense visual with minimal words.  Ã‚   Another simile is used to help the reader picture the fish's struggle: "coarse white flesh packed in like feathers."   This wording intensifies the reader's initial view of the fish, and creates a visual, again, on the reader's level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bishop next relates to the fish on a personal basis: "I looked into his eyes.

How Useful Is Postmodernism in Understanding Contemporary British Fiction

How useful is postmodernism in understanding contemporary British fiction To examine the question of how useful postmodernism is in understanding contemporary British fiction, I will be using the example of ‘Sexing The Cherry’ written by Jeanette Winterson. The works that can be closely linked with this novel first published in 1989 are those of theorist and historian Michel Foucault. His ideas on sexuality mirror the ideas of sexuality used in Sexing The Cherry (Winterson. J 1989, 47-60). Postmodernism affects the way that we read a text, but why is that more important than reading a text for its own individual merit.Postmodernism as a movement is only the current movement in literature, and if we look into the past we can see that all the movements can be used to characterise some of the texts of the era in which they were written, but also there are other factors that go into analysing a text, such as historical and social context. During those times texts were analys ed by using the movement of the time, however there is nothing to say that previous movements can’ be used to analyse contemporary texts, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the current movement.For example Romanticism or Modernism could still be used as a valid theory to analyse texts that are currently being published; because some of the ideas used to create the basis of these movements are still valid in today’s society, as Postmodernism is still just the progression of Modernism. It is all dependant on what the author has intended to convey with his or her story, as in any case the ideas and theories that have influenced postmodernism are those of the previous movements and societies.Foucault’s ideas of sexuality and the taboo of sexuality can be seen in the retelling of the 12 dancing princesses in Sexing The Cherry (Winterson. J. 1989, 47-60). In the story told by Winterson the twelve dancing princesses all become married to twelve princes but all bu t one of them part with their princes for one reason or another, most of them kill their husbands due to their inadequacies or in one case because he asks her to. Foucault argues that the relationship between sex and power is defined by repression.Sexual repression is something that can be seen in some if not all of the stories Winterson tells, if not especially with the tale of the princess who married another woman and lives are happy and peaceful life until their persecutors come to kill them. In this Foucault’s ideas of sexual repression which he talks about in his book The History Of Sexuality (Foucault, M, 1976) in society come to be useful in the analysis of this, however this could also be done using the current social context concerning sexuality.The postmodernism critique of this is detracting from the individual and placing into a much larger concept and can take away all the emotional power of this story. Postmodernism is not concerned with the individual as previ ous movements had been but instead pushes all of us into groups or theories that characterise all people in a similar way, which I believe takes something away from the text by making the text merely a commentary on the social aspects of our society as opposed to being the thoughts on paper of one person who wishes to express his or her feelings.Postmodernism removes itself from reality by showing the nature of the society in which we have created for ourselves as fake â€Å"Postmodern theorists adopt the poststructuralist strategy of severing the connection between signs and their referents, thus abandoning modern theorists' efforts to represent the â€Å"real. †Ã¢â‚¬  (Robert J. Antonio and Douglas Kellner, New York: Guilford Press, 1994: 127-152. Sexing The Cherry does this with the playful way in which it deals with history, by placing the protagonist of the story in a time that is so different from now the author is able to play with and subvert our already existing id eas of that time and apply social stigma of our society onto a time that had different ideas to those which we have now. Postmodernism as a critical tool, I feel takes away from the text its individuality, and therefore the power from the words on the page, which the author has tried to put down on paper.Literature should be classed individually as it has been created by individuals, and the postmodernist way of critique dismisses the idea that the author had anything to do with it. Word Count: 745 Bibliography * Sexing The Cherry – Winterson J. 1989, Vintage ISBN 0-09-974720-0 * Beginning Theory an introduction to literary and cultural theory – Barry P. 995, 2002, 2009 Manchester University Press ISBN 978-0-7190-7927-6 * The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction – Foucault M. 1976 Vintage ISBN-13: 978-0679724698 * The A-Z Guide to Modern Literary and Cultural Theorists Sim S. 1995 Prentice Hall/ Harvester Wheatsheaf ISBN 0-13-355553-4 * MODERNITY AND SO CIAL THEORY: THE LIMITS OF THE POSTMODERN CRITIQUE Antonio R. J. and Kellner D. 1994 New York: Guilford Press

Hero Myth †Achilles Essay

The concept of the hero is as old as myth itself. Throughout history both concepts have evolved together. Myths tell tales of the adventures of man, frequently the son of a god or goddess and a human, who is endowed with great promise and destined to perform great feats. Often these feats involve acts of rescue, war or protection. This heroic myth is rooted in the ideal of familial romance. Particularly during adolescence it sustains and expresses the identification of the ego with idealized imagery. The hero myths have been used for centuries to educate and train youths as parts of institutions and groups. One example of a hero is Achilles, made famous through Homer’s epic Illiad. While we may not look at myths today in the same ways as our ancient forebears, the hero myth is still alive and well in our culture today. Achilles was the hero of the Trojan war as related by Homer in the Illiad. He was the mightiest of the Trojan warriors. He began life as a demigod, the son of Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons and a mortal, and Thetis who was a Nereid. The Myrmidons were legendary warriors, very skilled and brave. Nereids are sea nymphs being the daughters of Nereus and Doris. Thetis was very concerned that her son was a mortal. Therefore she attempted to make him immortal. There are two stories of how she wet about this. The lesser-known story is that she burned him in a fire nightly and then healed his wounds with a magical ambrosia. The more well-known story is that she held him tightly by the heel and submersed him in the river Styx. This made his entire body invulnerable except for the spot on his heel where she held him while he was in the river. During Achilles’ boyhood, a seer named Calchas prophesied that Troy would not fall without help from Achilles. Knowing that he would die if he went to Troy, Thetis sent Achilles to the court of Lycomedes in Scyros. He was hidden there in the guise of a young girl. While at the court he had a romance with Deidameia who was the daughter of Lycomedes. The result was a son who was named Pyrrhus. The disguise finally came to an end when Odysseus exposed Achilles by placing arms and armor amongst a display of female garments and picked Achilles out when he was the only â€Å"female† to be interested in the war equipment. Achilles then willingly joined Odysseus on the journey to Troy. He led a host of his father’s Myrmidon troops in addition to his utor Phoenix and his friend Patroclus. Once in Troy, Achilles quickly gained the reputation as an undefeatable warrior. One of his most notable feats was the capture of 23 Trojan towns. One of these was Lyrnessos where he took a war prize in the form of a woman named Briseis. The central action of the Illiad was sparked when Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks, was forced to give up his war-prize woman, Chryseis, by an oracle of Apollo. As compensation for the loss of Chryseis, Agamemnon took Briseis from Achilles. Thus enraged, Achilles refused to continue fighting for the Greeks. With Achilles’ withdrawal from the action, the war started to go badly for the Greeks and they offered large reparations to try to lure back their greatest warrior. Achilles continued to refuse to rejoin the war, however, he did agree to allow his close friend Patroclus to don his arms and armor and fight in his place. The next day Hector, a Trojan hero, mistook Patroclus for Achilles and killed Patroclus. Achilles was engulfed with rage at Hector and consumed by grief for his friend’s death. Thetis went to Hephaestus and obtained fabulous new armor for Achilles. Achilles recommenced fighting and killed Hector. Not satisfied with Hector’s death, Achilles used his chariot to drag the body before the walls of Troy and refused the corpse funeral rites. Hector’s father Priam, the king of Troy, went secretly to the Greek camp to beg the return of the body. Finally, Achilles relented and allowed Priam to take Hector’s remains. After Hector’s death time started to run out for Achilles. He continued to fight heroically and killed many Trojans as well as their allies. Eventually, Paris, who was another of Priam’s sons, enlisted the aid of Apollo and wounded Achilles in his weak spot – the heel – with an arrow. This caused Achilles death. The enduring legend from the story of Achilles has to do with the concept of the Achilles’ heel. An Achilles’ heel has come to mean that despite overall strength, there is a mortal weakness that can lead to one’s downfall. While the original myth refers to a physical weakness, in modern times it has come to reference other types of character flaws or qualities that can cause ruination. The concept of the hero has changed somewhat in our modern culture. Instead of daring people who buck trends and traditions in order to help their families, nations or cultures, today we tend to revere people like sports figures and actors. While we have the occasional government or political leader such as Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela, most of what you hear about is who is making the most money due to their sports or acting ability. The concept of the sports figure hero can have some validity as these figures do occasionally overcome great odds and perform daring feats on the modern â€Å"battlefield†, i. e. , the sports arena. However, this is nothing compared to the feats of the ancient heros. Hero myths are powerful stories from ancient times. So powerful are they that they cross cultures and ages, continuing to influence us today. Achilles was one of the great heros of ancient times as the mightiest warrior of the Trojan war. While who we classify as a hero has changed in our modern societies, we still look to the concept today. We teach young people about heros as a method to inspire them. We look to our heros as adults to give us guidance and to give us something to guide our hopes and dreams. While modern heros may not be of Achilles’ status, they remain an integral part of our cultures.

Foreign Policy What Has Been the Main Emphases of Americas Foreign Policy from World War 2 to the Present Day

Foreign Policy What Has Been the Main Emphases of Americas Foreign Policy from World War 2 to the Present Day The main emphases of the foreign policy of the United States from World War 2 to the present day have been the containment of the Soviet Union and its allies, military domination, expansion of economy, the War on Terror, and overall stability. The paper is focused on the foreign policy during the Cold War, and basic peculiarities of American foreign policy of the end of the XX – the beginning of XXI century.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Foreign Policy: What Has Been the Main Emphases of America’s Foreign Policy from World War 2 to the Present Day? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The origins of Cold War are preceded from the World War 2; tense rivalry between America and Russia became more evident. In contrast to the Soviet Union, America’s policy was oriented not only to the military domination, but to the economic expansion, as well. The collapse of the USSR outlined a new era in th e foreign policy of the United States, connected with terrorism and peaceful Obama’s strategy. During the World War 2, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were the allies, but there were some signs of tense relationships between them. According to Brinkley (2009), the nature of such global phenomenon, as Cold War, is in tension between the Soviet Union and U.S., expressed in military rivalry: â€Å"The Cold War was a profound event in the history of the twentieth century and, like World War II, reshaped the world order in important ways. The intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union – and between democratic capitalism and communism – divided much of the world into two not-quite-warring camps† (Brinkley, 757). Thus, the nature of Cold War predestined the rivalry of the both super-countries in the world arena. What are the origins? Most historians believe that â€Å"both the United states and the soviet union contributed to the atmosphere of hostility and suspicion that quickly clouded the peace† (Brinkley, 758). As Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin had different visions of the postwar picture, the sources of Soviet-American tension should be found in Atlantic charter of 1941. After the war, in 1945, these politicians signed the agreement on the Yalta Conference. Nevertheless, the visions of the Soviet Union and those of Anglo-American were different: â€Å"†¦the Soviet Union moved systematically to establish pro-communist governments in one Central or Eastern European nation after another† (Brinkley, 759). Thus, the global struggle of America and Russia was inevitable.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The failure of Potsdam agreement led to the tenser situation: as the Soviet Union fortified its positions, the U.S. claimed their containment doctrine, directed against the Soviet Union. The adopted Marshall Plan was beneficial for the United States: â€Å"An integral part of the containment policy was a proposal to aid in the economic reconstruction of Western Europe. There were many motives: humanitarian concern for the European people; a fear that Europe would remain an economic drain on the United States if it could not quickly rebuild and begin to feed itself; a desire for a strong European market for American goods† (Brinkley, 762). Consequently, while the Soviet Union outlined strengthened its communistic power and search the allies, the U.S. tried to get most part of Western Europe as its ally. Western Europe served a shield against the Soviet Union. In 1949, twelve countries signed an agreement, and there appeared North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), intended to defend the United States and Western Europe against military attack of the enemy. It speeded up the process of creation an alliance of communist governments (Eastern Europe), realized in 1 955, by Warsaw pact. The explosion of first atomic bomb by the Soviet Union, frightened the United States, and made it strengthen the non-communist world position. Non-Aligned Movement, intended to limit Soviet expansion, was established; there started continuous ideological struggle of the two super-countries. America’s military domination led to the military conflict, realized in the Vietnam War (1955-1975). The military opposition of North Vietnam, supported by the Communists, and South Vietnam, supported by the American government. Although, it resulted in the victory of the Communists, nevertheless, it coasted extremely high. Although, this war was painful for Americans, as well: the U.S. lost 55,000 people (Brinkley, 811). The period in American economics of 1950-1960, Brinkley named as â€Å"the economic miracle† that was characterized by intensive economic growth (Brinkley, 780). The technological development, caused by economic growth, influenced the high leve l of American Air Force, and weapons – bombs, rockets, and missiles. Also, there was the growth of industrial and cultural centers of the United States, the success of the labour movement, the explosion of science and technology, technical progress, and the dawn of the computer age. Nevertheless, the Soviet Union did not want to go behind, and launched the first satellite â€Å"Sputnik† into outer space. â€Å"Explorer I† was American answer to it; moreover, the United States created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Foreign Policy: What Has Been the Main Emphases of America’s Foreign Policy from World War 2 to the Present Day? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, Americans were the first people who footed on the surface of the Moon: in â€Å"1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins successfully trav elled in a space capsule into orbit around the moon† (Brinkley, 787). The massive cultural development ideologically influenced the Soviet Union that had another vision on culture, limited by communistic ideals. Gradually, the face of affluent American society was changing: the civil rights movement, population minority’s activity, antiwar demonstrations, general disappointments of American society, the crisis of Cold War (the Soviet Union placed its nuclear bombs on Cuba), etc. weaken the power of the United States. Also, there was the crisis of authority: the impeachment of Nixon (caused by the Watergate crisis) negatively influenced the American position in the world arena that showed signs of its economic decay. Though, in 80-ies, Reagan influenced the revival of the overall American situation. Elected in 1980, this president â€Å"became a symbol of a new kind of confident conservatism that would soon have enormous influence in the United States and in many other parts of the world† (Brinkley, 871). The roots of American economic success were in the reliable power of free market. Also, he strengthened foreign policy: ‘The Reagan administration supported opponents of communism anywhere in the world, whether or not they had any direct connection to the Soviet Union. This new policy became known as the Reagan Doctrine, and it meant, above all, a new American activism in the Third world† (Brinkley, 884). Reagan’s successful policy and economics reflected on the prosperity of America. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was losing its position, in 1989, it dissolved into separate independent countries, and there was â€Å"†¦the collapse of communist regimes all over Europe and in other parts of the world† (Brinkley, 890). The Cold War ended, and the situation in the world changed. The United States was on the way to the stabilization: free trade continued, the government protected the national interests in the world a rena, there grew a concern for human rights. The age of globalization started, and the United States faced with other foreign policy crises: the military conflict in Kosovo. The Operation Allied Force (in other words, NATO) caused bombing of Yugoslavia that raised many controversial points to be discussed. In terms of the military and economic partnerships, the USA created a major non-NATO ally, now it includes fourteen nations.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the turn of the centuries, there were some essential issues for the politic and economy of the United States, but one of them deserves particular attention. In September 11, 2001 one of the most horrible events in American history took place. It faced with the open military aggression, caused by nuclear terrorism in which the United States was engaged. In the same day, there were several catastrophes: two commercial airliners crashed into Manhattan’s towers, and another commercial airliner crashed into the building of Pentagon. These dreadful catastrophes were: â€Å" the result of a single, orchestrated plan by members of Al Qaeda, a previously little-known Middle Eastern terrorist group. The attacks they launched profoundly affected the United States and the world. They made what came to be known as the â€Å"war on terrorism† a central issue in American life† (Brinkley, 893). In answer to this terroristic act, Bush started a continuous Iraq War that lasted seven years, till 2010. The aim of this war was the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by invasion of American troops and those of the allies of the United States. There were many deaths either on the side of Iraq or the USA; that caused many critical opinions concerning the American foreign policy and unfair behavior in relation to Iraq. In 2008, with the election of a new president Barack Obama, a foreign policy changed its strategy, demonstrating the peaceful character. Modern foreign policy of the United States is characterized by the â€Å"post-modern orientation† (Viotti, 8). It is based on the decrease of military confrontation, economic partnership, and friendly relationships with all countries of the world. Positive thinking of Obama in the world arena realizes â€Å"the core of an American foreign policy grounded on liberal principles† (Viotti, 38). Thus, the 44th president of the USA holds out a hope for the stability, terrorism prevention, and successful world tr ade. Taking into consideration all mentioned above, some conclusions can be made. After the World War 2, the USA started the Cold war foreign policy that oriented to the containment of the principal enemy – the Soviet Union. The military dominion and economic expansion of the US were two main strategies that time. After the collapse of the USSR, America faced the nuclear terrorism, realized in the terroristic act of Al Qaeda and the Iraq War. Realizing possible consequences of the previous foreign policy of the USA, Barack Obama tries to establish peaceful strategy, and decrease the American military confrontation. Taking into account previous mistakes, a new administration intend to stabilize the foreign policy and economy of the US, directed to the prosperous and peaceful existence. Brinkley, Alan. American History: A Survey.13th ed., vol. 2. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print. Viotti, Paul. American Foreign Policy. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2010.

Forecasting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Forecasting - Essay Example Good judgment, intuition, and an awareness of how the economy is doing might give the management an idea of what is likely to take place in the future. Nonetheless, it is not east to change a belief concerning the future into a useful and precise number. Forecasting techniques can assist in estimating various aspects of a company operation. All forecasting techniques can be split into two wide classes: quantitative and qualitative. Most of the forecasting methods use historical or past data in time series. Time series is just a set of examinations measured at consecutive points in time or over consecutive periods. Forecasts provide future elements of the time series on a particular variable like sales volume. Division of forecasting techniques into quantitative and qualitative classification is based on the accessibility of time series information (Zech and Nallau, 5-57). Forecasting is a tool that assists management in its effort to tackle future uncertainties. It is mainly based on information from the present, past, and evaluation of trends. Forecasting begins with some assumptions based on the business’s knowledge, experience and

IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

IT - Essay Example Information systems have gained a critical role in business leading to a number of operational advantages. Khurana (2010: 4) argues that one of the reasons why information system is important to businesses is its role in data and organizational management. This involves activities such as â€Å"capture of data, storage of data, processing of data, distribution of information, and presentation of information,† activities that are very important to businesses (Khurana, 2010, p. 4). Competitive nature of the corporate world has for instance led to increased efforts to track and retain customers. Similarly, analysis of data and subsequent communication of the results facilitates managerial ‘decision-making’ processes. Business organizations therefore gains managerial advantage from information system’s scope that collects, analyzes and communicates meaning of data for informed decision making (Khurana, 2010: 4- 6). Information system is also important to business organizations through its induced efficiency in data handling processes. Khurana (2010: 6) explains that developments in information system facilitate efficiency in management and communication of data for better responses. Application of modern computerised drives for example facilitates fast and accurate analysis of even large volumes of data. Similarly, computer networking facilitates instant communication towards more efficient and effective management. Information system is also important to business organizations because it facilitates achievements of communication objectives. Business organizations, being composed of different types of people and operations to be coordinated, rely heavily on effectiveness of communication for success. Managerial processes such as communication of instructions and reliance on observed data for decision making therefore depends on the ability of communication processes to be effective. Positive features of information systems