Psle

Should PSLE be scrapped off? What is PSLE? The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is basically an examination taken by Primary 6 students before they go onto their Secondary School education. As different Secondary Schools have different cut-off points based on the previous intake, schools with higher cut-off points are usually regarded as the better ones. Naturally, parents would prefer their child to get into a better school, as they believe that these schools will offer their children a better education.Other than PSLE, there is also other ways a student can get into their desired Secondary School such as the Direct School Admission (DSA). Students who are able to choose the DSA approach are usually more sports or art inclined. The Ongoing Debate Recently, many Singaporeans have considered PSLE as the ‘do or die’ examination. The reason is because parents are feeling too much pressure on account of the PSLE. Many parents want their children to get into brand na me schools, causing them to feel stressed and worried. â€Å"People take secondary school admission so very seriously. If I don't get into that school, then my kid has no chance in life',† said Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong. Mr Lee also mentioned that ‘every school is a good school’ so that they can get the pressure off the parents. However, not every parent in Singapore is pressurized by the fact that his or her children may not be able to get into a good Secondary School. Housewife Sandy Lee, 40, said she enrolled her son Zong Wei in Townsville Primary as she felt that the principal and teachers cared for the pupils. She is also not too worried about her son's PSLE results.She said: â€Å"I don't want to pressure him too much, as long as he can get into a secondary school. † And with this in mind, there is an ongoing debate on whether the PSLE should be abolished as it is causing too much stress on Singaporean students and parents as well. One of the The Straits Times' current affairs website readers asked if Singapore could reduce the reliance on exams, and even do away with the PSLE. This emerged among the top 10 most pressing questions that people wanted the Prime Minister to answer, according to a week-long poll on the website that drew over 21,000 votes.The stress that comes with PSLE is something that needs to be looked at, but scrapping the exam or tweaking the assessment criteria may not be the solution, said Senior Minister of State Lawrence Wong. My Personal Experience I’ve taken PSLE in the year 2007 and I have to admit that PSLE was pretty stressful for me. Every day after school, I had to go for supplementary lessons conducted by teachers till 5 to 6pm every day and then head home for dinner before revising again. During the weekends, I had to attend tuition and there was no playtime for me.I did that continuously for 4 to 5 months before PSLE. My parents have always supported me throughout that period of ti me and were always cheering me on. They have never given me any stress. Instead, they asked me to set a goal for myself and to ask myself, â€Å"What do I want in life? † After knowing what I want in life, everything felt like it was worth it and after PSLE ended I had 2 months of holiday just purely relaxing and enjoying myself as I felt like I gave my best and had no regrets.So, should PSLE be scrapped off? My personal opinion In my opinion, I think that PSLE is a very good way of gauging a student’s learning pace. A school with a lower cut-off point doesn’t mean that it is a bad school; it’s just a school for students with a slower learning pace. The main problem with PSLE is the stress that it's causing for students and I believe that it is because many students are just like the me I was back then, learning what it feels like to be stressed for the first time.In life, everything has its first time and if a student is not able to deal with the stress from PSLE, he or she will never be able to deal with the stress in Secondary School. Hence, I strongly believe that PSLE should not be scrapped off. Conclusion Let the students taking PSLE work towards a goal set by themselves and not their parents. This way, students will drive themselves towards it. And after all of it, it’ll be worthwhile. Reference: Chia, S & Toh, K. (2012, September 22).Scrapping PSLE Not The Solution: Lawrence Wong. Ministry of Education, Singapore: Education in the News. Retrieved on November 18, 2012 from http://www. moe. gov. sg/media/news/2012/09/scrapping-psle-not-the-solutio. php Au Yong, J. (2012, 27 September). PSLE stays but needs relook: PM. The Straits Times. Retrieved November 18, 2012 from Factiva Database. Goh, C. L. (2012, 17 November). PSLE not the be-all and end-all: PM. The Straits Times. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Factiva Database.

Alphabet Games Essay

A) The analytical framework I have chosen to use is PEST. Pest stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological and are all factors of a PEST analysis. These are intellectual tools which are created in order to help a researcher to collect, sort, prioritise and interpret a variety of existing data and information about the subject or context that has to be analysed. When changes happen within a business or organisation the company will use a PEST analysis to view each factor in the changing process, in this case we will be looking at the changes of Alphabet Games. Political Factor Political forces include regulatory requirements, legal concerns, and any impact from the current political climate of the country or region where the business operates. The changes in the political factor could effect Alphabet Games considerably as they would have to sell games or consoles at a higher cost if the taxations in the gaming industry increased in order for the company to earn a stable profit. Economic Factors – Any change in the economy that impacts the supply or demand for a company’s products and services fits into this category. Sometimes they have a positive impact, like when a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) increases more than expected. Other times economic forces can hurt a business, like when consumer confidence drops and potential customers spend less and save more.Alphabet Games may need to pay more or less for the resources they need depending on where they purchase these from. As more companies are forming within the industry and all purchasing from the same supplier then the costs may decrease as they will be taking in more money, and this could decrease the price of games and consoles. Social Factors – Social factors are those that reflect the preferences, fads, and trends in society. Media companies are very sensitive to social trends as their business model is to produce content that reflects society’s interests. A social factor which relates to the case study is the force of change within Alphabet Games. Alphabet Games will have to constantly keep up to date with with upcoming and new trends so that they can work towards these. By  checking quantifiable statistics Alphabet Games will be able to see if the community offers a population with the demographic traits necessary to support the business. Technological Factors – Advancement in technology has had a dramatic impact on the business world over the last two centuries, and especially over the last 30 years. Anticipating changes in technology and capitalizing on those changes can become a competitive advantage and so Alphabet Games could be affected by this. Alphabet games will have to be able to change their patterns by creating new games, software and consoles in order to increase sales and marketing. BSWOT Analysis Strengths Close working relationships that exist between the partners Multi-million pound business at the cutting edge of the games development market Custom built facility that houses research, development and production Wide range of corporate and individual customers Extensive experience World known reputation for excellence, quality and innovation They offer software solutions as well as games Passion for software within the company is still as strong as when it established Weaknesses Competition between the small businesses and larger companies Technological enviroment Opportunities Recent growth in demand for flash games Some of their recent clients include NHS, Pepsi, Virgin Media and other small businesses The software can draw potential customers to companies websites providing a competitive marketplace Due to their experience they are a lot faster than most rivalry’s at developing new software Threats The challenge for small companies like Alphabet Games to stay in the market for long term and reap in potential benefits Production costs have tripled in recent years with the introduction of next generation consoles Sales and revenues have increased at a fraction Technology costs have risen which means large investment in staff and equipment CSWOT analysis guidelines In order to carry out an effective SWOT Analysis all information used must be current and relevant to the firm. A SWOT Analysis is a general technique which can be applied across diverse functions and activities used by managers. Using a SWOT Analysis can provide benefits such as a framework for  identifying and analysing strengths, weaknesses, opportunity’s and threats in relation to particular tasks or objectives or a stimulus participation in a group experience as well as many others. Below are a set of guidelines to follow that will enable them to carry out an effective SWOT Analysis. GATHER A TEAM The first step to take when conducting a SWOT analysis is to gather a team who have experience when conducting a SWOT analysis. By gathering a team that have experience they will be able to define the objectives which are relevant and accurate to the firm. PARTICIPATING IN THE SWOT ANALYSIS For best results invite contributors to participate in the swot analysis but by giving them enough time to prepare and conduct their own SWOT in advance. By providing a draft SWOT with brief descriptions of what they think is being seen as strengths, weaknesses, opportunity’s and threats. Once the group has assembled the process and established ground rules should be explained. The process of documenting strengths, weaknesses, opportunity’s and threats should be explained prioritising these lists and using the information as part of the strategic, business marketing plans. Explain that the SWOT process is a cooperative exercise aimed at organisational improvement and not about allocating blame and assure all participations that their input will be respected. Ground rules include – Everyone’s ideas are important Every idea is a good one No-ones idea is better than the other Suggesting an idea does not mean that you will be expected to carry it out if it is respected Except in the case of an emergency, participants commit to remaining on task until completion LIST STENGTHS The group assembled should list their lists of strengths identified before continuing to the workshop. They should be invited to the form in pairs and develop one combined list. The pairs then combine to form fours, and the process is repeated. Set of four then combine to form eight, and then again the process is repeated, each sets of eight then presents its list. The list of strengths is developed incorporating all contributions. The list should then be finalised by asking participants to reword any descriptions or include any additional strengths that may have been considered during the process. LIST WEAKNESSES In order to identify weaknesses a repeat process for strengths should be generated reflecting on the participants contributions. The list will provide a useful indication of growth over a period. When you review the list in a year’s time you may notice that most of the identified weaknesses have disappeared. Even though other weaknesses will be identified, the disappearance of previous ones is an indicator of successful progress. LIST OPPORTUNITIES In order to list the opportunities and threats the process for which was used for strengths and weaknesses should be repeated. The focus now becomes external, as opposed to internal for strengths and weaknesses. Make sure that opportunities and threats are not absolute – one person’s threat can be another’s opportunity, however the same item won’t appear on both lists. ESTABLISH PRIORITIES When the process has been completed there will be four lists developed from everyone’s input. Ideally these lists should be displayed so that participants have an accurate and succinct picture of everyone’s views of  the current situation. The list should then be narrowed down showing top priorities. Clarity of objectives is key to this process as evaluation and elimination will be necessary to cull the wheat from the chaff. With the lists compiled a clear picture should at this stage start to emerge in response to the objectives. CARRY YOUR FINDINGS Make sure that the SWOT analysis is used in subsequent planning. Revisit your findings at suitable time internals to check they are still valid and use lists to identify issues that are crucial to achieving the stated purpose of the business in which the company is involved. It is likely that you will be able to identify specific themes across all four lists. Try to restrict the number of themes if possible.

Kaahumanu

Keri Yokoyama February 6, 2012 Social Studies Funk Queen of Manoa! Guess who was one of the most popular people in Manoa? Queen Elizabeth Kaahumanu of course! Kaahumanu was one of the most famous residents of all Manoa. She was famous because she made a big impact on Manoa! She was also the wife of Kamehameha; in fact, she was one of Kamehameha’s favorite (out of twenty-one! ). In this article, I will tell you all about Queen Elizabeth Kaahumanu and her impact on the Manoa Community. In upper Manoa, she had a summerhouse. Its name was Ka Puka’oma’omao, meaning â€Å"the green gate. This makes sense because her house had a green gate and green shutters. The house had a blend of Polynesian and Western styles. In the book â€Å"Manoa: the story of a valley,† it says that the roof was probably thatched or peaked. (They don’t know but they are pretty sure it was. ) Kaahumanu had many friends and invited them to her summerhouse. Her house became a popula r place to visit. The house is not there today, but the land that it was on is still there with nothing on it. If you go to Manoa Road and Oahu Avenue, there is a green overgrown path that leads to a tiny clearing covered with old hau trees.Keep going on the path and you will find the land that Kaahumanu’s house, Ka Puka’oma’omao, was on. Kaahumanu was also known for a fresh water well. Her well was located close to her home. It was on Huelani Drive. The name of Kaahumanu’s fresh water well was Kawaihuelani, meaning â€Å"The waters of Huelani. † People believe that mo’owahine, meaning, â€Å" Part-lizard, part-woman being† is the guardian of the well. Kaahumanu also made a difference to one school in particular, Punahou School. Kaahumanu ordered/suggested Boki (Oahu’s governor) and his wife, Kuini Liliha, to give the land of Kapunahou to Reverend and Mrs.Hiram Bingham. From there, they built a school, which became Punahou Scho ol. That is how Punahou came to be. After catching an illness coming back from a trip, Kaahumanu asked to be taken to her home in the mountains. She died in her home in Manoa. Manoa was a place she loved so that's why she came back to visit one last time before her death. I hope you learned a lot about Kaahumanu and her impact on Manoa. There are many things about her that I found interesting and I hope you found interesting too!So now, to remember Kaahumanu as a queen and a resident of Manoa, think â€Å"Queen of Manoa! † Works Cited Bouslog, Charles, and Thelma Greig. Manoa: The Story of a Valley. Honolulu: Mutual Pub. , 1994. Print. â€Å"Kawaihuelani  » History | Hawai‘inuiakea. † University of Hawaii at Manoa. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. . â€Å"Queen Kaahumanu (1768 – 1832) Kamehameha's Favorite Wife | Aloha Hawaii. † Hawaii Travel Guide – Plan Your Hawaiian Vacation | Aloha Hawaii. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. . â€Å"The Woman Who Changed A Kingdom à ¢â‚¬â€œ Hawaiian Queen Ka'ahumanu. † Coffee Times – 100% Pure Kona Coffee. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. .

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus - Term Paper Example At the very least, this paper aims to subjugate, criticize and analyse the aesthetic standards of the ancient people in terms of architecture and representations that pertain to worship and religious iconography since these things have played a very vital role in thriving of the artistic culture that time. What seems to be so significant about this paper is it tries to revive to the consciousness of the modern people the importance and contributions of the ancient knowledge and culture that have become one of the guiding conventions of the modern people in generating new concepts and designs related to architecture. At the same time, it tries to highlight the pivotal conditions that surround the architectural design of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the wonders of the Ancient World. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was designed by the architect Chersiphron and is said to be the very first temple built out of marble and the largest Greek temple erected and measures 377 feet long and 180 feet wide (Temple of Artemis). The very first shrine was constructed around 800 B.C.E. and had major reconstructions during the 600 B.C.E., 550 B.C.E. and 356 B.C.E. (unmusem.org). However, during the reconstruction period of the temple, Theodorus, Scopas of Paros became contributing architects for Temple of Artemis (clevelys.co.uk). The Temple of Artemis was erected at the marshy fields of the Ephesus at the Asia Minor (greatbuildings.com). This temple is regarded to be one of the wonders of the ancient world (yousigma.com). Its highlights several conventions of architecture and culture present during the early human times. This architectural edifice is a treasure damaged due to several complexities that have risen during that time. Also, the historical relevance of the temple is crucial to determine the cultural influences that have penetrated the construction of the said majestic

Convection Currents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Convection Currents - Essay Example This is known as a thermal. Figure 1 cloud formation, which may produce a thunderstorm. A cumulonimbus cloud, or "thunderhead," is a particularly dramatic example of a convection cell. Eventually the heated cell is cooled by the surrounding air, begins to fall, and the cycle is repeated. Whereas the Sun's electromagnetic energy is the energy source for atmospheric convection, asthenospheric convection is fueled by radioactive decay in the earth's core. The convective cells form in the asthenosphere, a region of extremely high pressure at a depth of about 60-200 miles where rocks are deformed and become molten by enormous pressures. In the asthenosphere, the molten material rises in a convection current until it hits the bottom of the upper layer of Earth's interior consisting of the crust and the mantle. Here, it can not rise any farther and begins to move horizontally. Figure 2 depicts the movement of the convection cells in the asthenosphere. The red areas are the heated molten material rising from the earth's center and moving toward the surface. As the material reaches the surface it Figure 2 Eventually the material cools and as it does it becomes denser. This material then slowly sinks through the lighter material until it is again heated by the earth's core. It forms a new convection cell and repeats this same process. In both the atmosphere and the asthenosphere material is moved from one region to another. Lower air levels rise to become the upper air, and as the cooler upper air cells fall they become ground level air. Within the Earth, irregular convection cells within the mantle transfer heat from the core to the surface of the planet. This process is the driving force behind both heat transfer and plate tectonics ("The Restless Earth"). The effect of the rising material also forms mountain ranges. This process also transfers energy from one area to another. This transfer of energy can result in violent activity if the transfer happens abruptly. In the atmosphere we see it form high winds and thunderstorms. In the asthenosphere, energy is usually transferred by heating the earth's crust. In other cases, it may result in a volcano or an earthquake. The hydrosphere is also an active medium that is powered by convection. The movement of convection cells is the force behind the ocean currents. Circulation patterns in the oceans are driven by density differences between warmer and colder hydrospheric cells. As the water circulates, material and energy are transferred. The ocean's water is heated by the sun as well as undersea hot air vents. It is cooled by the polar ice caps. Convection is also responsible for the action of the water cycle. As the sun heats the surface water on the earth, it evaporates and becomes water vapor. This warmed vapor rises until it encounters the cooler air at higher altitudes. Here it condenses back into water and returns to earth as precipitation ("The Water Cycle"). Convection takes place anytime there is a mass of gas or liquid on the earth. It causes our weather, winds, and ocean currents. Convection heats our air and creates our mountain ranges. It results

Perception and Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perception and Decision Making - Essay Example Based on the case of Armstrong (A), it can be observed he was faced by the three decision problems. The first decision problem was job A. Under this job, Dave Armstrong was supposed to have a large capital outlay. The job also had a lot of untapped potential returns. In addition, Dave perceived that this is a kind of job that he would like to do but his wife was against his idea because it involved a lot of risks. The second job, B, Dave did not like it thought it had better returns. In addition, this job was to last for only two years. The third job, C, was involving though it had better returns compared to A and B (Steven, paras.3-6). Based on this case, it can be observed that perception may be affected by the situation under which one is operating in. The situation may in turn affect the cause of action to be undertaken. For instance, if among the three jobs could mean perceived losses will be incurred; Dave Armstrong may make his decision based on the situation he was going thro ugh. Whereby, they make an optimal decision that will remedy the situation based on their perception. Secondly, perception may be affected by the person interest, motives, experience and attitude and anticipation. PROACT approach may be used to analyze Dave Armstrong decisions. The first element in this approach involves problem identification and making right decision based on that problem. The second element entails objective definition, this involve gathering the necessary information and determining the right course of action (Steven, paras.1-5). The third element of PROACT approach entails evaluating the three alternatives prior making the right choice. The forth element entails determining the consequences of each course of action that Dave is looking forward to undertake. The fifth element entails evaluating the trade-off between the various objectives available.

Conveyancing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Conveyancing - Essay Example The entire such rights vest legally in a person only on registration. The registration procedure, therefore, places an official "seal" on a person's rights in fixed property. "Fixed property" is any land, whether enhanced or not such as a house, farm or sectional title flat. A conveyancing deal involves a chain of steps which begins with the deeds of sale and which continues throughout to the vital registration of ownership and the resolution of money and payments (BRACTON, H. de,2002). A conveyancer is considered as such by the High Court after having concluded a particular qualifying examination. In totaling, only a person who has been considered by the High Court as an Attorney, may perform as a conveyancer. the entire conveyancers are so, also attorneys (BRIDGMAN, o.,2004). To be considered, the person has to entire the requisite academic studies (typically four or more years for the obligatory law degree), then a stage of "articles" or labor in a law-office for the required familiarity and then an wide practical test. If the skilled attorney wishes to follow in the highly technical branch of the law commerce with fixed property, he or she has to do rigorous study of a large number of Acts of Parliament, regulations, High Court verdicts along with verdicts by Registrars of Deeds linking to fixed property. Then he or she has to surpass a conveyancing examination. Only after transitory this inspection will the High Court permit the attorney to carry out as a conv eyancer. Who can do conveyancing work' There are three options to get conveyancing done: - licensed conveyancer - solicitor - do it yourself. Before start organising conveyancing, it's essential to execute groundwork foremost. Who appoints a conveyancer' In South Africa, the customary practice is for the vendor to sign up a conveyancer for a assets deal, though this, like further aspects of a trade contract, can be assorted as a outcome of cooperation among the parties (BRITTON, 2005). The buyer may also hire a conveyancer to counsel him or her, but such charges will be larger than and over the conveyancing costs submitted by the seller's conveyancer, who will be performing the real transfer. Using a conveyancer In many countries, conveyancers ought to be licensed with the Office of Fair Trading. The majority conveyancers grasp an unlimited licence that allows them to carry out the complete range of conveyancing job for housing, business and rustic assets. Conveyancers are licensed to do legal job such as preparing documents, providing legal counsel on contracts and explaining the problems (BROOKE, R., 2002). Before a person chooses to utilize an exacting conveyancer, make sure if they are licensed with high court foremost. Licensed conveyancers should have expert guarantee indemnity to defend clients in case they build a blunder or are neglectful in their work.If they are deceitful with the money have entrusted to them, usually client may has right to use to the reimbursement Fund administered by the Office of Fair trading. Using a solicitor No doubt conveyancers and solicitors are evenly capable to perform conveyancing

The Mexican American War (Polk's War) Research Paper

The Mexican American War (Polk's War) - Research Paper Example They also had an ambitious desire on the Mexican lands in the West and this brought conflicts which later led to the eruption of the Mexican-American war. This war was very important to the United States for land expansion; they wanted to expand their territories by acquiring huge masses of land from Mexicans. Many people lost their lives during this war. It is estimated that, around 30,000 lives were lost during the conflicts.1 The Mexican-American war was a very short war but it left behind long lasting effects that are always remembered up to date. Causes of the Mexican-American war The Mexican-American war had several causes, some major and others minor, here are some of them: The Annexation of Texas The major cause of the Mexican-American war was the annexation of Texas. The root of the conflicts that led to the eruption of the Mexican-American war is traced back to the time Texas got its independence. The outcome of the revolution was the annexation of Texas into the United Sta tes. Primarily, Mexico had promised to wage war against the U.S. if they were to manage annexing Texas and when Texas broke up from Mexico, they stopped regarding it as an independent city but as a corrupted city2. Mexicans had believed that the annexation of Texas called for war. ... The Westward movement of the U.S. citizens to the Mexican territory The United States citizens were relentlessly searching for land for farming and also to sell to the incoming farmers. Through their search, they found that Texas had easily accessible and available land for farming and so they started moving into the lands. Mexicans made an effort to stop them; nevertheless, they still moved into Texas and started to undermine the Texans and Mexican government’s authority. They farther went ahead to disobey the set Mexican laws and regulations especially the anti slavery laws. Due to these misbehaviors, the Mexican law makers and officials started disapproving the U.S. citizens and this led to the escalation of the Mexican-American war. The Ideal Manifest Destiny This was an American ideal whereby the United States was to extend its territories from coast to coast as one huge nation. Through the ideal manifest destiny, many U.S. citizens were able to advance as citizens into t he west of the Mexican territory. They travelled across Mexico searching for economic gain that is why they infested the Mexican’s lands. This can be seen where the United States forcefully desired to acquire California to serve as an economic base for them and in order to establish markets. This led to the Mexican-American war because the Mexicans did not want to let go off California and wanted to fight against their invasion into their lands. Actions of the presidents in office at that time The presidents in office during the time of the tension between the Mexicans and the Americans provoked the war. Their motions highly contributed to the war. For example, President

ASSESSMENT 1 AND ASSESSMENT2 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ASSESSMENT 1 AND ASSESSMENT2 - Case Study Example These disorders are not officially identified in patients less than eighteen due to the continuing growth changes. But, if the disorder is persistent and if the criteria are completely and constantly fulfilled and are not restricted to a growth phase, detecting borderline personality disorder in teenagers and kids is proper. Historically, BPD has been perceived to be lying on the margin between neurosis and psychosis. It is typified through marked unsteadiness in functioning, mood, affect, interpersonal links and sometimes reality test. This disorder was conceptualized in 1975 by Kernberg to describe a collection of patients with specific prehistoric defense systems and pathologic object associations that are internalized. Case study The client is a forty four year old woman with a borderline personality disorder (BPD). She has a history of frequent presentation to the hospital. In addition, she has accommodation issues; legal Avo on her by her daughter, her legal status is involunta ry. She is well known to police, poor coping skills, has concrete thinking also deemed as OHS hazard, finances under the financial management order, her medications as listed sodium valproate 500mg BD, pantoprazole 20mg mane steraline 50 mg mane, PRN med TDS ibuprofen 400mg. She also has allied support issues. History of client’s diagnoses The client felt emotions often, more profoundly and for prolonged periods. In addition, she had a history of reinitiating and even lengthening her emotional responses for longer periods. As a result, this took her a long period to go back to a steady emotional baseline after going through a strong emotional experience. The client was exceptionally happy, idealistic, and affectionate. However, she at times felt besieged by negative feelings, going through deep anguish rather than sorrow, disgrace and humiliation rather gentle embarrassment, anger instead of displeasure, and fright instead of anxiety. The client was particularly responsive to emotions of isolation, rejection, and apparent failure (Boyd 459). The client as well demonstrated impulsive traits regularly. The diagnoses reported repeated threats of self-harm, where the client’s history revealed that she has attempted to commit suicide several times. She as well portrayed impulsive conduct especially excessive drinking of alcohol. The client has a history of getting involved in unsteady relations, which regularly resulted to emotional ruin. These included abuse of alcohol and having sexual relations with several partners, changing jobs regularly, shoplifting, quitting relationships and self-harm. Self-injury or suicidal conduct is among the basic diagnostic condition in the DSM IV-TR. Recovery and management of this behavior is difficult and demanding. The reasons reported by the client to self-harm and attempting suicide entails articulating anger, creating usual emotions, self-punishment and distracting herself from emotional anguish or hard situation s. The client had problems of concentrating often. The strong feelings of individuals with borderline personality can render it hard for them to regulate the focus of their concentration. She demonstrated dissociation in reaction to a painful episode and in cases where she remembered a painful experience. This involved directing complete or partial concentration away from the episode. Though this helps in relieving painful feelings, it repressed the usual experience of feelings, and reduces the potential of patients with borderline

'Love' Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

'Love' Marriage - Essay Example Arranged marriages are when the parents or the adults of the man or woman choose the spouse for them to whom they will marry; with consent or in severe societies without consent. Arranged marriage have been accepted almost everywhere throughout the history, but now as the trends have changed, they have eventually ceased to predominate the Western societies, even though it has been held that they had been persisted in the aristocratic society up to the 20th century. Now, the usual view of the arranged marriages comes from the eastern culture which was not always so. The history shows and proves how western culture had been following arranged marriages too, for example most of the kings and queens of England had gone through arranged marriages. Love marriages are the new and modern type of marriages that are being greatly followed now. The rise of love marriages have not dominated the arranged marriages but have definitely caused an issue on which marriages are usually talked about. The love marriages do not go to a history of culture and society, but has greatly influenced the societies since a few decades. Love marriages allow the man and a woman to choose their spouse themselves and marry them. Though there seems nothing wrong with this view, there still are many conflicts arising between the two marriages. These conflicts are usually based on the views of the societies and individuals rather on cultural differences or facts to justify them. As arranged marriages have a history that goes to the kings and queens of England, these historic events show some justification to the rise of love and arranged marriage conflicts. The arranged marriages tradition was strong in these western societies until King George V broke the tradition by marrying a commoner. Along with that, the more and more exposure of the generations to education and the urge to think beyond the traditional boundaries created the hook

Organizational Culture Amazon Case Study Term Paper

Organizational Culture Amazon Case Study - Term Paper Example The Amazon Company exhibits a market culture since it gives utmost focus to market stability and control but with an external orientation. The company constantly motivates the employees and ensures stability and control of the market. The company considers companies’ ways as poor habits and, therefore, teaches its employees to learn how to solve problems. Besides, the secret phone directory ensures that every employee and boss is ever doing something geared towards increasing the company’s productivity. The company’s gross attention is on the customers that the company gives little attention to the employees. Most employees resign after few years of working with the company. Other employees get fired after suffering minor or major personal crises as these are unproductive. The company is result oriented, and the employees who experience or suffer from miscarriages, cancer, and other personal crises have reduced productivity detrimental to the company’s obj ective of attaining the best competitiveness in the market. Additionally, employees toil till late in the night to ensure complete customer satisfaction. The organizational culture of the Amazon.com has been transferred from generation to generation of the employees. Numerous objects are available to ensure the transfer. Immediately an employee passes an interview, interviewers tell the new employees to leave their old work habits learned from previous workplaces and instead learn new Amazon singular working procedures.

God Hates Divorce Essay Example for Free

God Hates Divorce Essay When Adam was alone The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him .Gen.2:18. Under marriage covenant man and woman come together to serve a divine purpose and a role. Man can serve this purpose and role only if they are united and married. The moment they get divorced the unity is destroyed and they fail to serve the divine purpose and role that God wants them to fulfill while they are married and united. God gave a command to the first couple in the Garden of Eden to be fruitful. This command of God only a couple can carry out and the moment they get divorced they fail to carry out this divine command and we have to keep in mind that this command was given to men before their fall and even after the fall men are bound to keep this command. This shows us how important is this command and why God hates divorce so much. The failure to keep the first command affected the whole human race for generation after generations, the failure to keep this second command will also affect the human race generation after generations and even it will cause the mankind to stop be in existence. This is another reason why God hates divorce so much. When men get divorced they forget their first love. Marriage is a love relationship. When man is angry he cannot make a right decision. An angry head cannot evaluate the relationship that was made by a loving heart. Anger makes a man blind and leads him to the bottomless pit and that is divorce. Divorce is the worst hell in this world, the moment anyone falls into it he will be separated from his spouse, children, friends and families and from God. This is the darkest pit that will show no mercy and kindness to its victims. Life will be meaningless and worthless. You will be a creature without hope and future. A lonely man cannot succeed in anything; he is fruitless and useless to God and to society. All the sweet memories turn into bitterness. Then it becomes easier for that person to get into more and more sins as there is no one to show him his fault and give account to for all the wrong doings. Divorce affects our relationship with God, our relationship with one another, our relationship with the children and our relationship with the society. God cannot use a divorce person to reflect His glory and to show His image to His people. That person turns into an instrument of devil. There are so many reasons for all wise and all knowing God to hate divorce. God with His infinite wisdom can see the infinite danger that lies in divorce. Man cannot see the infinite danger that lies in divorce that is why man can take this decision of divorce without much thinking and considerations. God in His infinite wisdom and knowledge gives us the person that will be best suitable for us. We take it granted that suitable means comfortable. Something could be very suitable for us but at the same time it could be very painful and uncomfortable. The spouse you have is always suitable for you because God gave you this spouse. God took this responsibility from the very beginning to give us suitable spouse. The spouse we have is the best teacher for us given by God in our life to teach us something that no one can teach and to make us useful for God and for man. It takes a lot of pain, patience, humility and suffering to learn through our spouses to be more like Jesus Christ and God. Every time my wife gets angry with me or sins against me I ask God what lesson do you have to teach me today. Every time I can see that God has something to teach me through her anger. She does the same thing but I learn so many different lessons, at the beginning I get hurt then I rejoice when I can see what God has to teach me today through her anger. Then I feel very sorry for her because she took so much pain and suffering to teach me a lesson that nobody could teach me. Then I began to thank and praise God for her. We need to see what God wants us to see and to understand what God wants us to understand. God in His sovereignty allows us to go through all the bitter and painful experiences to make us more like Jesus and to draw us nearer to Him and to teach us how God feels when we sin against Him. We need to learn how to bow down to the sovereignty of God and to stop bow down to sin or to give in to sin. God hates the sin of divorce because He does not like separation or division. Divorce is the worst ingratitude towards Gods greatest gift and blessing in our life. The moment we stop giving thanks and praises to God for our spouses we are on the way to be ingratitude for the gift that God by His mercy and kindness gave us. Our Lord Jesus suffered and died on the cross and chose to be separated from God to keep us united with one another and with God. Our Lord Jesus chose to suffer and die to keep us united and one. So we must choose to suffer and die to remain united, one and married for the sake of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

Strategies to decrease recidivism

Strategies to decrease recidivism Recidivism is one major problem facing various societies across the world. It involves acts committed by people which involve repeating undesirable behaviors after being trained or treated to extinguish the behavior or experiencing negative consequences due to the behavior. Recidivism is common with criminal behavior or substance abuse but for purposes of this paper, we will focus on criminal behavior. Recidivism is a behavior which is linked to psychopathy which is gratification enjoyed after committing an aggressive, sexual or criminal act by a person. Psychopaths hardly learn from past mistakes and they are likely to repeat them in future. In the United States, recidivism among prisoners is a serious problem facing prison institutions. Statistics show that on average, 58% of female prisoners and 68% of male prisoners are rearrested after being released from prison. Of these, 39% of females and 53% of males are sent back to prison again (Bleich, 2000). This is a serious threat to r ehabilitation purpose of prisons since it appears that prisons are failing in their objective of rehabilitating prisoners. The environment inside prisons is not conducive for rehabilitation most of the times since crimes are committed even inside prisons. There are also environmental factors outside prisons which make it a challenge for prisoners to be accepted by the society after serving their terms. These too contribute to the high rates of recidivism. It is important to assess the factors which contribute to the high recidivism rates and the solutions to the same. This will enable prison institutions to succeed in their rehabilitative role which they play in society. This paper will address criminal recidivism and suggest solutions for the same. Scholarly journals will be used to support theories advanced. The discussed issues will be summarized at the end. Purpose of prisons in US justice system The prison institution plays a crucial role in any society. In the US justice system, the prison system plays various roles. The first major role is rehabilitation. Prisons offer people convicted of crimes a second chance to learn from their mistakes and change. It provides prisoners with an environment where they can learn new skills which will enable them to earn a decent livelihood once they are released from prison. More importantly, the prison environment is meant to assist prisoners to reflect on their lives and seek ways which they may co-exist peacefully with the society. Mental and physical health professionals are present to assist prisoners with this objective. Another important role played by prisons is punishment and deterrence. Punishment is meant to discourage the prisoners and other members of society from committing a similar offence. Different forms of punishments vary according to crimes committed and usually the worse the crime, the heavier the punishment received by the prisoner. Punishment varies from strokes to hard labor depending on the sentence given. This role of prisons is very important since it deters other members of society from committing offences. Punishment is likely to discourage other people from engaging in criminal activities and this ensures the society lives in peace and harmony. Another important role played by the prison system is ensuring justice for victims of crime. This is an important role in any judicial system since the law is founded on equity and justice. Victims who are hurt in one way or another ought to receive justice in order to view society as fair. Although in many cases, especially capital offences such as murder, do not compensate the victim for loss suffered, prisons ensure victims have closure since the people who commit the offence are normally punished. Finally, prisons are meant to protect the general public from people who are a threat to their property or lives. Some criminals such as serial killers or rapists are psychopaths who would not stop committing the crimes unless they are rehabilitated. Prison removes such people from the streets and rehabilitates them, making society a safer place to live. This fosters unity and peace within society. Current conditions in US prisons The current conditions in the US prisons are different from the ideal environment which would facilitate rehabilitation. Prisoners live in poor conditions which are overcrowded and where crime thrives in spite of it being a prison institution. According to Farrington and Nuttall (2001), the largest prisons in the US which are Texas and California have experienced an eight fold increase in a number of prisoners in the past three decades. However, funding for these facilities has hardly increased; a situation which has made it difficult to cater for the needs of the prisoners. The US has only about 5% of the world population yet its prisons have more than 25% of the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s prisoners, which shows the magnitude of the problem. The increase in crime in the US over recent years coupled with crime recidivism is largely to blame for the congestion in prisons in the United States. Congestion in these prisons largely defeats their major role which is rehabilitation. Congestio n makes it difficult for prisoners to access individualized attention from counselors or health care professionals who would assist them with their mental and physical needs. Congestion also makes prisoners interact with people from different backgrounds at close proximity and this may make them develop undesirable habits such as physical confrontations, substance abuse or sexual molestation. When such occur, it is difficult for authorities to detect them on time and to take the necessary action to discourage the vices. Another problem which is inherent in modern US prison environments is social vices and criminal behavior. Many prisoners engage in crimes within prison due to influence from peers or collaboration with unethical prison wardens. These crimes include substance abuse, immoral behavior or violent acts against each other. There are established drug rings inside many prisons and prisoners have access to drugs as long as they can access funds to finance the same. Many prisoners who have drug problems are taken to prison instead of drug rehabilitation facilities and they continue abusing these drugs inside prison. Corruption within prison allows some wardens to assist prisoners in accessing drugs. This defeats the central role of prisons which is rehabilitation. Finally, poor finance of prison systems makes it difficult for prison systems to teach prisoners skills which would be useful to the outside world. Since many prisoners commit crimes out of desperation and due to lack of employment, when they are released without these crucial skills they find themselves forced to commit illegal activities to survive and they end up in prison again. These problems inside modern US problems should be addressed if criminal recidivism is to drastically reduce. Programs which seek to reduce recidivism in US prisons Although many prisons do not have adequate facilities and personnel to undertake programs which reduce prison recidivism, there are a few prisons which have developed programs to deal with the problem. Most of these programs aim at rehabilitating prisoners in order to make them fit back into society. They include educational programs which address the adverse effects of substance abuse or violence in society. For instance, in Alaska, there is a program known as Probation Accountability with Certain Enforcement which aims ate reducing recidivism among people who have been put on probation (Wilson, 2003). This program aims at making people on probation on the importance of probation and the consequences of breaking probation conditions. It is specifically targeted at people with problems satisfying probation conditions. In California and Texas, there are various programs aimed at educating prisoners on the adverse effects of gang culture and substance abuse in society. The programs aim at ending gang culture and substance abuse through making offenders aware of the harm they cause to society when they engage in the vice. In most states, there is also program geared towards providing life skills to inmates in prison in order to allow them to practice decent professions when they leave prison. Although such programs are under-funded, they teach prisoners skills such as carpentry, IT skills, mechanics, hair dressing, appliance repair, building and other skills. This is one of the most efficient ways to reduce crime recidivism since they empower inmates to become independent once they leave prison facilities. Current approaches to protect the public upon a prisoners release There are various approaches which states take to ensure that crime recidivism is reduced and that the public is protected from ex-prisoners upon their release. The first approach involves liaising with employment agencies to ensure such prisoners acquire decent employment. This is a very effective strategy since once prisoners are independent; they are less likely to engage in crime. States usually have programs which link skills learned by prisoners in prison with employment opportunities present in society. Another strategy which is used by many states involves probation. Probation is meant to safeguard the public against criminals through supervision of inmatesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ behaviors after release to ascertain whether they have reformed. This is a relatively ineffective strategy since it does not aim at helping the inmate reform but is meant to protect the public from harm (Roger, 2004). Addressing the causes of crime recidivism is the most effective approach to dealing with the problem. Finally, a few states hold discussion with communities and develop ways to integrate prisoners into society. It involves talking to community leaders, religious leaders and non-governmental organizations and developing a positive attitude towards released convicts. It assists such prisoners to live with their families and find employment opportunities in order to prevent engaging in crime. This is also another effective approach to reducing crime recidivism although it is not effectively implemented in many states. Recommendations to end recidivism upon release of inmates Although some of the programs currently being implemented to reduce crime recidivism in society are effective, more needs to be done to discourage this trend. The first steps should be to rehabilitate prisoners in prison and teach them skills which would make them economically independent once they leave prison institutions. This can only be done effectively if the problem of overcrowding, substance abuse and immoral activities among other crimes is addressed in prison. Strict laws which deter involvement in crime by prison wardens or prisoners should be passed and such laws should be punitive to discourage the crimes. In order to deal with overcrowding, adequate financing should be provided y the state to build more prisons to reduce overcrowding in prisons. In addition, alternative forms of punishments for petty offenders which include probation should be enforced in order to reduce the prison population in the United States. Once crime and overcrowding are addressed in prisons, prisoners will have access to healthcare practitioners to cater for their physical and mental needs. In addition, they will have access to training opportunities which will empower them once they leave prison. More funds should be allocated by states and the central government to ensure that there is enough facilities and personnel to rehabilitate prisoners and empower them with life skills. Prisoners who have substance abuse problems should have access to rehabilitation centers which address their problems since mere incarceration in prison does not help them end their addiction. Psychopaths should also have access to mental health experts who will use medication and alternative therapies to treat these mental disorders. Once prisoners have reformed and they have been imparted with these skills, it is important to cultivate a positive image in society so that they may be embraced and integrated back into society. This should involve dialogue with the community and religious leaders as well as their families in order to offer them support in beginning a new life. Once the prisoners are embraced back into society, they are less likely to commit a crime again. However, in addition to acceptance, by society, they should have employment opportunities which assist them to meet their daily needs. This is the best way to ensure that they do not engage in crime. Since they will already have skills, the state and correction facilities should collaborate in seeking opportunities where the prisoners can practice the skills which they have learned. They should be provided with financial and mental support by their families and community once they begin their careers in order to ensure that they succeed in life. Summary and conclusion Prison recidivism has been seen to b a major problem which faces the US prison system. Many prisoners who are released from prison end up committing a crime again due to several reasons. The major causes of prison recidivism are lack of skills which prisoners may use to empower themselves once they leave prison, inadequate physical and mental support from health care practitioners and counselors, high crime rates in prison and overcrowding in prison. Prison facilities are overcrowded and expose prisoners to crime within prison walls, a fact which makes it difficult for them to be integrated back into society once they are released. Although there are various programs which are currently being implemented by different prisons to reduce crime recidivism, these programs are few and under-funded. As a result, many prisoners do not benefit from them. In order to solve the problem of prison recidivism in US prisons, overcrowding and crime in prison should be first tacked through prison expansion, alternative rehabilitation forms and passage of harsh laws which guard against crime in prison. Once this is addressed, prisoners should have access to personnel, facilities and training which will satisfy their needs and impart them with skills in line with the rehabilitation objective. Finally, the society should accept them back through dialogue with families and community leaders who should provide moral and financial support to inmates. The state and correction facility should ensure that such prisoners have access to employment opportunities in line with their skills in order to empower them to be independent. Once these steps are taken, prisoners will have no reason to revert back to crime and the problem of crime recidivism will be solved once and for all.

US Governor Campaign Example

US Governor Campaign Example Gubernatorial Campaign for Jane â€Å"Bitzi† Johnson Miller I. Introduction Jane Bitzi is a granddaughter of the previous Texas Governor called Joe Miller, also known as â€Å"Big Daddy† who was in office from 1954 to 1958. She is Caucasian with a Swiss ancestry. She is a conservative Republican and is running for Governor of Texas. Jane Miller was born and brought up on a ranch in West Texas. She was a former developer and the founder of a software company in Dallas in 1993. She sold her company, Comp Soft, for $2.5 million to Dell in 2010. Jane Miller attended The University of Texas at Dallas for only one year, but had to stop due to financial reason owing to her father’s bankruptcy. However, she managed to get a law degree from Yale following financial support from her husband. She is currently divorced from her husband Paul King with whom she had two children, Ian King and Robert King. Jane Miller worked as a Senator for the Anderson County in Texas for two terms since 2008. II. Cultural and Regional Support Political culture denotes what people feel and believe about the administration, and how they consider people ought to act towards it. A moralistic political culture is one in which society is regarded to be more significant than the individual. This group acknowledges the need of individuals to give value to the group. Government appears to be perceived as a positive force, emphasizing the commonwealth conception as the source of democratic government. In an individual political culture the administration is perceived have a practical orientation and is largely instituted for utilitarian reasons. It puts emphasis on limiting the government intervention on private activities and the government is largely restricted to the areas that encourage private initiative. In a traditional political culture, family and social and ties are prominent. The government is perceived to have a positive role in society, but this role is largely restricted to safeguarding the preservation of the prevailing social order. Daniel Elazar believes that Texas’ political culture is strongly individualistic with some traditionalistic elements in that administration is supposed to preserve a steady society, but arbitrate in the lives of Texans as little as possible. This will be Bitzi’s likely strength amongst the different political cultures because Texas’ politics are identified with social and economic conservatism, solid support of personal politics, and mistrust of political parties. The geographic regions where she will prosper and have the majority of support will be East Texas, North Texas and Central Texas because they are republican stronghold, particularly in the South Plains and the Panhandle. Despite being a resident of West Texas, she will do poorly in West and South Texas because they are democrat stronghold. Historically, The Republican Party has been politically weak in Southern Texas, especially the areas around and near the Mexican Border (Jeffers, 2010). III. Demographic Support Regarding the demographics of Texas according to the 2010 census, the state has approximately 45% white population, 38% Hispanic population, 11% Black population, and 6% of mostly Asian population. Texas is now becoming less white and more Hispanic (Stiles, 2010). The majority of Bitzi’s regional and cultural support will come from the white population. This will be mostly because she is white. She will get fewer votes from Hispanics and African Americans because the voting exercise in Texas is often divided along racial lines. Also, she will get fewer votes from the Black and Hispanic population because the Republican Party is stereotyped as a white party. However, she can attract more black votes by appealing to the African-American population by advocating for more access to education and jobs to benefit poor African Americans, an issue that has been traditionally Democratic. She can also attract more Hispanic vote: Hispanic voters support abortion rights in large numbers. The GOP has always made the mistake of assuming that individual conservatism corresponds to political conservatism. Hispanics, especially the working-poor and the working-class, tend to capitalize on the few state benefits compared to other races because of the cultural and language barriers. Bitzi can also appeal to Hispanic voters by stopping her move to repeal Obama Care because most Hispanics are poor and they want subsidized health care (McKinley, 2010). She will get more women votes because she is a woman. Fewer men will vote for her because she is a single mother and a feminist. She will gain more votes from higher income earners and middle class groups compared to lower income earners. This is because high-income earners and middle class citizens are known to vote for the Republicans because the party rejects tax cuts for the rich. The Republican Party is infamously recognized as a blue-collar party, but she can appeal and get more low income earners to vote for her if she promises to raise the minimum wage. She will get more conservative votes and votes from older people compared to young people. This is because the young population is more liberal and tends to support Democrats. She can attract more liberal votes by appealing to young people by advocating for an activist government that supports same-sex marriage and the legalization of marijuana (Hylton, 2010). IV. Campaign Themes The three issues that are central focus of her campaign are: Immigration, Healthcare and Education. Immigration Bitzi’s campaign wishes to keep the immigration subject from erupting because she needs to attract Hispanic voters without isolating the conservative whites. She has been successful so far because she has supports the 2001 Texas’ DREAM Act, which grants in-state college tuition fee to undocumented immigrants. However, she treads lights on the topic because she does not want to be closely tied to the strict anti-immigrant position of her party, which requests this law to be repealed. Regarding border security, Bitzi wants to appeal to conservative supporters with a $400 million border security strategy that could increase 600 state troopers at the border. Her campaign wants the immigration laws to be reformed: She stresses the need for more liberal immigration policies because she wants to woo many Hispanic voters. For example, she supports the issuance of driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. She addresses the issue as â€Å"heightening border security† and not â€Å"tightening immigration† (McKinley, 2010). Healthcare Bitzi wants Obama Care to be reformed because she believes that it has led to the increase of government regulation over one sixth of the economy, resulting the demand that citizens must purchase health insurance. She wants Obama Care to be restructured because it tremendously expands Medicaid, leaving the state to take up unmaintainable financial burdens. In addition, Bitzi is advocating for block grants and wants to solidify health care liability reforms to reduce the number of flippant lawsuits and increase the figure of practicing doctors in Texas. Regarding the treatment of the terminally ill, Bitzi opposes assisted suicide, euthanasia and any withholding of cure for any reason. She believes that medical care efforts must be concentrated on research to cure the terminally ill, in addition to pain relief of the patients for their lives to be more comfortable. Bitzi is advocating for a reformed Medicare that can give seniors citizens choice and flexibility. She wants older Americans to have access to favorable insurance plans and medical savings accounts. She also wants to ensure that incentives exist for the private sector to produce drugs. She wants to lessen the administrative complexities for an improved Medicare program that will deliver reimbursement at all levels and permit healthcare providers to continue caring for patients. Regarding abortion, Bitzi is strongly against federal financing of abortion, because she views the practice as a destruction of life, thus she do not believe that the administration should support. With regards to HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness, she supports prevention procedures that involve early and regular testing, abstinence, and behavioral changes that can eliminate the threat of exposure (Jeffers, 2010). Education Bitzi’s view on education involves a variety of central ideas. Firstly she believe in the streamlining of higher education that would leave the majority of students prepared for their preferred fields and less minimum wage occupations that are unrelated to their education. Bitzi believes that the expansion of technical institutions, community college programs, online universities, private training schools, life-long and work-based education in the private sector will create competition for higher learning and is a good way to make education more accessible and to motivate institutions to match the alternative expenses and level of job-preparedness. Bitzi also believes in limiting the central government in education by only having private loans and abolishing federal student loans. This is due to the uncontrollable rise in college tuition’s consequential debt that is rising above the inflation rate. She believes federal loans aggravate this problem due to their lack of transparency, and because they are more expensive compared to private loans. Bitzi considers that a bigger private sector involvement in loans could reduce tuition costs. However, she wants the federal government to function as an insurance sponsor for private sector loans. Bitzi also supports initiatives that will increase benefits to scholars who are undertaking difficult courses, create partnerships with major universities and colleges in an effort to expand math and science programs, and invite engineering, math, and science students to join lower-income schools. Young people voters are likely to respond to this move (Hylton, 2010). V. Win or Lose Bitzi will win because her stand on top Texans concerns [education, health care, and immigration] is favored by and appeals to most of the voters. Through her move to reform immigration laws to be less strict on undocumented citizens, Bitzi is hoping to appeal to the Hispanics, who constitute more than a third Texas’ qualified voters. Moreover, in spite of the demographic changes that continue to happen, Texas’ voting population of is still conservative and racial, indicating that if Bitzi could mobilize all Republicans and right-wing independents, she will win with a great margin. Bibliography Hylton, H. (2010, March 17). Has a Democrat Got a Chance of Becoming Governor of Texas? Retrieved Mrch 03, 2015, from The Time Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1972070,00.html Jeffers, G. (2010, September 24). Rick Perry, Bill White clash in separate interviews. Retrieved March 03, 2015, from Dallas News: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/local-politics/20100923-Rick-Perry-Bill-White-clash-9177.ece McKinley, J. (2010, November 02). Perry Re-elected in Texas Governor Race. Retrieved March 03, 2015, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/us/politics/03texas.html Stiles, M. (2010, November 05). 2010 Texas Governors Race Maps. Retrieved March 03, 2015, from The Texas Tribune: http://www.texastribune.org/2010/11/05/2010-texas-governors-race-maps/

Riding Bikes and Raising Social Consciousness Essay example -- Persona

Riding Bikes and Raising Social Consciousness Instructor’s comment: This student invites his readers along for a bicycle ride, immersing us in the sights, smells, sounds, and physical sensations of a phenomenon unique to San Francisco. Along the way he educates us about the political and social significance of the ride—but in such a genial, inclusive way that we may not even realize right away that we’ve been taught a lesson in social consciousness-raising. crit’i cal mass’ n. 2: an amount necessary or sufficient to have a significant effect or to achieve a result. —Random House Webster’s College Dictionary On the last Friday of each month, Tom, an amiable Jesuit Brother who loves cycling, my best friend, Ron, a few awkward freshmen, and I would all meet at school around 5:00 p.m. We would all be dressed differently: me in my jean shorts, a ratty tee shirt, and my purple helmet; everyone else in a combination of blue jeans, sweaters, jackets, and red or white helmets. The colors of our helmets, clothing, and bicycles constituted at least a perfect rainbow. Wasting no time, we would begin our migration, a race against the fog and its pursuing damp chill, to dominate the streets of San Francisco for one night as a unit, a voice, a symbol, and a mass. On this one night of each month, cars become the minority, the police blocking the intersections to allow the steady flow of 1500 cyclists to flow continuously like a giant, fluid serpent, oozing around the skyscrapers. Fueled by whoops, shouts, high-fives, clanging bells, screeching whistles, rattling chains and fenders, and the mesmerizing, silent symphony of blinking red lights, we would pedal all over the city for our own personal reasons and causes, but also for the ... ...Golden Gate Park by the well-maintained Victorian houses of the Castro and Lower Haight. Once on Kennedy Drive in the park, the entire Mass was about half its original size, since many people had split off and gone home along the course of the ride. When we finally got to the Polo Field, everyone laid their bikes down on the damp grass. The sun had already set, but there was just enough light in the sky to give it a dark blue color. The temperature was moderate (in my opinion), but many were putting their jackets and sweaters back on, including Ron and Tom. The freshmen found us almost immediately. They said they had â€Å"had a blast† and managed to stay right at the front with the â€Å"hotshots.† Good for them. I, on the other hand, was glad to stay at the heart of the mass, where we were a part of something important and wonderful. We were a critical mass—a velo de force.

Heroic Slave Rebel in Delaneys Blake or the Huts of America and Dougla

Heroic Slave Rebel in Delaney's Blake or the Huts of America and Douglass' Heroic Slave The fundamental element of a successful slave rebellion is a heroic slave rebel. Madison Washington of Frederick Douglass' The Heroic Slave and Henry Blake of Martin Delany's Blake or the Huts of America serve as models of that rebel. First, he must possess a will to stay and fight-he must not be content to just run away and gain individual freedom, abandoning his family and friends. Second, he needs intelligence, and preferably education as well, to be able to organize large, complex plans of rebellion. Finally, he must be a natural leader, drawing fellow slaves and free abolitionists to follow him and fight for his cause. Throughout the novels, examples of all of these characteristics can be found in both heroic slave rebels. For most American slaves, there were only two paths to freedom: running away or successfully plotting and carrying out a rebellion. The path of flight was much easier and was the path chosen by almost all dissatisfied slaves who decided to take action. The slave who decided to stay and fight instead of fleeing had to have a force holding him back. This force could be described as a sense of duty to family and friends or a remarkable desire to make a change in the nation as a whole rather than just improving his own life. Both Madison Washington and Henry Blake, like all heroic slave rebels, were affected by this force, held back by it. They had acquired their individual freedom through flight, but then were called back to aid their families and friends. Without this force pulling them back, they would have been content to remain as runaways in Canada and would not have become heroic slave rebels. Throughout th... ...hite man, I would have followed willingly and gladly in any honorable enterprise" (Douglass 68). Madison Washington's leadership skills during the insurrection aboard the ship were so great that they even impressed an old, prejudiced white sailor. Without this quality of leadership, his rebellion would have never been executed successfully. These three characteristics-a will to stay and fight instead of running, intelligence, and great leadership-are all necessary to the successful rebel. Both Madison Washington of Frederick Douglass' The Heroic Slave and Henry Blake of Martin Delaney's Blake or the Huts of America embodied these characteristics and serve as good examples of the heroic slave rebel. Works Cited Delaney, Martin R. Blake or the Hunts of America. Boston: Beacon, 1970. Douglass, Frederick. The Heroic Slave. New York, Penguin Books, 2003.

Moisture Content Experiment

Date: 09-02-2013 Experiment 1(a) Laboratory determination of water (moisture) content of a soil sample by oven drying method Reference: ASTM D2216-98 Need and scope of the experiment: In almost all soil tests natural moisture content of the soil is to be determined. The knowledge of the natural moisture content is essential in all studies of soil mechanics. To sight a few, natural moisture content is used in determining the bearing capacity and settlement. The natural moisture content will give an idea of the state of soil in the field.Apparatus: 1. Containers (Tin or Aluminum) with lids. 2. Balance, sensitive to 0. 01gm 3. Oven with accurate temperature control at 110 + 5oC (230 + 9oF) Discussion: 1. Moisture Content (w) It is defined as â€Å"the ratio of the mass of the ‘pore’ or ‘free’ water in a given mass of material to the mass of the solid material†. w=MwMs? 100 Mw = Mass of water in grams Ms = Mass of solid particles in grams (i. e. oven drie d weight of soil) 2. Representative quantity of Test SpecimenThe minimum mass of moist material selected to be representative of the total sample shall be in accordance with the following: Maximum particle size (100% passing)| Standard Sieve Size| Recommended minimum mass of moist test specimen for water content reported to  ±0. 1%| Recommended minimum mass of moist test specimen for water content reported to  ±1%| 2 mm or less| No. 10| 20 g| 20 g| 4. 75 mm| No. 4| 100 g| 20 g| 9. 5 mm| 3/8-in. | 500 g| 50 g| 19. 0 mm| ? -in. | 2. 5 kg| 250 g| 37. 5 mm| 1? -in. | 10 kg| 1 kg| 75. 0 mm| 3-in. | 50 kg| 5 kg|NOTE-1If it is suspected that gypsum is present in the soil, the soil sample should not be subjected to a temperature beyond 80oC. Otherwise gypsum would lose its water of crystallization, thereby affecting the results of moisture content. Oven drying at 80oC may, however, be continued for a longer time in order to ensure complete evaporation of free water present in the sample . NOTE-2To assist the oven drying of large test samples, it is advisable to use containers having large surface area and break up the material into smaller aggregations.NOTE-3Since some dry materials may absorb moisture from moist specimens; the dried specimens should be removed before placing new wet soil samples in the oven. Procedure: 1. Take sufficient number. of empty, clean containers and mark them (if they are not marked) with an identifying number or code. 2. Weigh the container and record the weight as M1 to the nearest 0. 01gm. 3. Take representative sample from different depths (0. 25, 0. 5, 0. 75m) from the field. 4. Quickly place the representative sample of the wet soil in the container. . Immediately weigh the container with the wet soil sample to the nearest 0. 01 gm. Record the weight as M2. In case it is not feasible to determine the weight immediately, cover the container with a lid. 6. Place the container with the soil sample in the drying oven at constant temper ature of 110+5oC for 24 hours (till constant weight is achieved). 7. After 24 hours remove the container from oven and weigh to the nearest 0. 01 gm. Record the weight as M3. Calculations: Mass of empty container = M1=4. 71(g)Mass of empty container + wet soil = M2= 43. 88(g) Mass of container + dry soil = M3=37. 41(g) Mass of water = Mw = M2 – M3 = 6. 47(g) Mass of soil solids = Ms = M3 – M1 = 33. 24(g) Moisture Content = w=MwMs? 100=M2-M3M3-M1? 100 Soil Moisture Content Determination: 1| Depth ( )| | 2| Soil Description| | 3| Container No. | 143| 4| Mass of empty container (M1), g| 4. 71| 5| Mass of Container + Wet Soil (M2), g| 43. 88| 6| Mass of Container + dry Soil (M3), g| 37. 41| 7| Moisture Content w = (M2 – M3)/(M3 – M1) %| 19. 46 %| Comments: ) Oven drying is a time taking process and not much accurate as speedy moisture meter. 2) It needs caring for long time in order to get the good results. 3) It needs attentions in case if some other materia l like Gypsum is present in the soil. In such cases temp. should have to be controlled otherwise the material may react and loose its water of crystallization which effects the results. 4) Above value of moisture content lies in Normal moisture content range. 5) Date: 09-02-2013 Experiment 1(b) To determine moisture content of a soil sample by speedy moisture meter.Apparatus: 1. Speedy moisture meter (also called calcium carbide pressure moisture tester) 2. Built-in scale for weighing 3. Two 1. 25 inches (3. 175 cm) steel balls 4. Cleaning brush and cloth 5. Scoop for measuring calcium carbide reagent 6. Calcium carbide reagent Introduction: The calcium carbide gas moisture tester provides a quick and simple means of determining moisture content of soil. It is particularly useful for field determinations of moisture content in conjunction with field compaction testing.The basic premise of the calcium carbide gas moisture tester is that the free moisture in the soil reacts with calci um carbide reagent to form a gas called acetylene gas. CaC2+H2O>CaO+C2H2 The acetylene gas pressure developed within the tester is displayed on the pressure dial gauge, which is calibrated to read directly moisture content (in %) by wet mass of soil. Since moisture content by definition is expressed as a percentage of dry mass of soil, the readings obtained by speedy moisture meter are corrected using the following expression: w=wsp1-wsp? 00 Where w = moisture content in %. wsp= moisture content as obtained by speedy moisture meter expressed as decimal fraction Procedure: 1. Weigh a 26 gram soil sample on the tarred scale and place it in the cap of the tester. 2. Place three scoops (approximately 24 gm) of calcium carbide and two 1. 25 in (3. 175cm) steel balls in the larger chamber of the moisture tester. 3. With the pressure vessel in an approximately horizontal position, insert cap in the pressure vessel and seal it by tightening the clamp.Take care that no carbide comes in conta ct with the soil until a complete seal is achieved. 4. Raise the moisture tester to a vertical position so that the soil in the cap will fall into the pressure vessel. 5. Shake the instrument vigorously so that all soil lumps are broken to permit the calcium carbide to react with all available free moisture. The instrument should be shaken with a rotating motion so that the steel balls will not damage the instrument or cause soil particles to become embedded in the orifice leading to pressure diaphragm. 6.When the needle stops moving, read the dial while holding the instrument in a horizontal position at eye level. 7. Record the dial reading. 8. With the cap of the instrument pointed away from the operator, slowly release the gas pressure. Empty the pressure vessel and examine the material for lumps. If the sample is not completely pulverized, the test should be repeated using a new sample. 9. The dial reading is the percent of moisture by wet mass and must be converted to dry mass. Note: If the moisture content of the sample exceeds the limit of the pressure gauge 20 percent moisture), use half of the soil mass and double the dial reading. Other methods of determining moisture content quickly: Other methods of measuring moisture content quickly include measurements by stove method and by micro wave oven methods. ASTM D4959-07 is used for measuring by stove method and ASTM D4643-08 is used to measure moisture my micro wave method. Results and Comments: Zero Error of Dial Gauge = 0. 8 Dial Gauge Reading = 17. 6 Corrected Dial Gauge Reading = 16. 8 Wsp = 0. 68 W (Moisture Content) = 20. 19 % * Speedy Moisture meter give better and faster result than the ordinary oven drying. * In this method the water present in soil reacts with calcium carbide and results in acetylene gas which in turn gives the value of moisture content. * Speedy moisture meter method is an efficient method as it doesn’t involve too much time for its performance. It is used when tests a re performed in the field. * Moisture content effects the soil resistivity, soil compaction and soil shear strength.

Instructions to Set Essay

The global community is plagued by increasing incidence of lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast and pancreatic cancers, prostate cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, liver, ovarian and esophageal cancers. Other types of cancer exist but are less frequent. What is the scientific community doing to attempt to eliminate the most common forms of cancer that are ravaging our society? 1. Be certain you’ve read your textbook’s chapter on cell division, specifically the last section on how cells become cancerous. This is context for completing Individual Assignment 3. 2. Watch the Presentation in Module/Week 4 entitled: â€Å"Ways to Fight Cancer†. Notice that the presentation outlines essentially 3 approaches to fighting cancer: a) reduction of cancer risks, b) correction of cancer genes, and c) destruction of cancerous tissue. 3. In the Individual Assigntment 3: 10 Discoveries in the War on Cancer document is a set of 10 scientists’ discoveries. Scan the discoveries briefly. Then open the assignment submission link in Module/Week 4. In the text box, number from 1 to 10 for the 10 discoveries listed below. 4. Now reflect carefully on the first discovery (#1). Would this discovery be more useful for (a) reducing cancer risks, (b) correcting/restoring cancer cells to normal, or (c) destroying cancerous tissue? After number 1 in your list, place in parentheses the letter representing the approach to fighting cancer that will best be served by this new discovery. (More than one approach may be served. But which is most likely to be helped most significantly?) 5. Now repeat this analysis for each of the remaining 9 discoveries. Return to the â€Å"Ways to Fight Cancer† presentation as needed for additional perspective. When finished, your entire text box should be simple: a numbered (1-10) list of letters a, b or c. That’s it! Assignment done. 6. Ten points are granted for each correct association up to 6 correct. If you get any 6 correct out of 10, you get a perfect score (60 pts.) on the assignment. Your assignment is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 4.

Walt Disney World Co. vs Aloysia Wood

515 So. 2d 198 (1987) WALT DISNEY WORLD CO. , et al. , Petitioners, v. Aloysia WOOD, et al. , Respondents. Supreme Court of Florida. (with professor edits) Aloysia Wood was injured in November 1971 at the grand prix attraction at Walt Disney World (Disney), when her fiance, Daniel Wood, rammed from the rear the vehicle which she was driving. Aloysia Wood filed suit against Disney, and Disney sought contribution from Daniel Wood After trial, the jury returned a verdict finding Aloysia Wood 14% at fault, Daniel Wood 85% at fault, and Disney 1% at fault.The jury assessed Wood's damages at $75,000. The court entered judgment against Disney for 86% of the damages. Disney subsequently moved to alter the judgment to reflect the jury's finding that Disney was only 1% at fault. The court denied the motion. On appeal, the fourth district affirmed the judgment **** In Hoffman v. Jones, 280 So. 2d 431 (Fla. 1973), this Court discarded the rule of contributory negligence, which Florida had follow ed since at least 1886, and adopted the pure comparative negligence standard. *** In adopting comparative negligence, this Court expressly declared two purposes for the change in judicial policy: (1) To allow a jury to apportion fault as it sees fit between negligent parties whose negligence was part of the legal and proximate cause of any loss or injury; and (2) To apportion the total damages resulting from the loss or injury according to the proportionate fault of each party. ***** The real issue before us is whether we should now replace the doctrine of joint and several liability with one in which the liability of codefendants to the plaintiff is apportioned according to each defendant's respective fault.According to Disney, this Court in Hoffman set for itself the goal of creating a tort system that fairly and equitably allocated damages according to the degrees of fault. Therefore, a defendant should only be held responsible to the extent of his fault in the same way as a plai ntiff under comparative negligence. Joint and several liability is a judicially created doctrine. Louisville ; N. R. R. v. Allen, 67 Fla. 257, 65 So. 8 (1914). This Court may alter a rule of law where great social upheaval dictates its necessity. Hoffman, 280 So. 2d 435. The â€Å"social pheaval† which is said to have occurred here is the fundamental alteration of Florida tort law encompassed by the adoption of comparative negligence. Following the adoption of comparative negligence, some states have passed laws eliminating joint and several liability, and the courts of several others have judicially abolished the doctrine. E. g. , Brown v. Keill, 224 Kan. 195, 580 P. 2d 867 (1978); Bartlett v. New Mexico Welding Supply, Inc. , 98 N. M. 152, 646 P. 2d 579 (Ct. App. ), cert. denied, 98 N. M. 336, 648 P. 2d 794 (1982); Laubach v. Morgan, 588 P. 2d 1071 (Okla. 1978). The Kansas Supreme Court in Brown v.Keill reasoned: There is nothing inherently fair about a defendant who is 10% at fault paying 100% of the loss, and there is no social policy that should compel defendants to pay more than their fair share of the loss. Plaintiffs now take the parties as they find them. If one of the parties at fault happens to be a spouse or a governmental agency and if by reason of some competing social policy the plaintiff cannot receive payment for his injuries from the spouse or agency, there is no compelling social policy which requires the codefendant to pay more than his fair share of the loss.The same is true if one of the defendants is wealthy and the other is not. Brown, 224 Kan. at 203, 580 P. 2d at 874. On the other hand, the majority of courts which have faced the issue in jurisdictions with comparative negligence have ruled that joint and several liability should be retained. E. g. , Arctic Structures, Inc. v. Wedmore, 605 P. 2d 426 (Alaska 1979); American Motorcycle Ass'n v. Superior Court, 20 Cal. 3d 578, 578 P. 2d 899, 146 Cal. Rptr. 182 (1978); Tucker v. Un ion Oil Co. , 100 Idaho 590, 603 P. 2d 156 (1979); Coney v. J. L. G. Industries, Inc. 97 Ill. 2d 104, 73 Ill. Dec. 337, 454 N. E. 2d 197 (1983); Kirby Bldg. Sys. v. Mineral Explorations, 704 P. 2d 1266 (Wyo. 1985). The Illinois Supreme Court in Coney v. J. L. G. Industries, Inc. gave four reasons justifying the retention of joint and several liability: (1) The feasibility of apportioning fault on a comparative basis does not render an indivisible injury â€Å"divisible† for purposes of the joint and several liability rule. A concurrent tortfeasor is liable for the whole of an indivisible injury when his negligence is a proximate cause of that damage.In many instances, the negligence of a concurrent tortfeasor may be sufficient by itself to cause the entire loss. The mere fact that it may be possible to assign some percentage figure to the relative culpability of one negligent defendant as compared to another does not in any way suggest that each defendant's negligence is not a proximate cause of the entire indivisible injury. (2) In those instances where the plaintiff is not guilty of negligence, he would be forced to bear a portion of the loss should one of the tortfeasors prove financially unable to satisfy his share of the damages. 3) Even in cases where a plaintiff is partially at fault, his culpability is not equivalent to that of a defendant. The plaintiff's negligence relates only to a lack of due care for his own safety while the defendant's negligence relates to a lack of due care for the safety of others; the latter is tortious, but the former is not. (4) Elimination of joint and several liability would work a serious and unwarranted deleterious effect on the ability of an injured plaintiff to obtain adequate compensation for his injuries. Coney, 97 Ill. 2d at 121-22, 73 Ill.Dec. at 345, 454 N. E. 2d at 205 (citations omitted). ***** While recognizing the logic in Disney's position, we cannot say with certainty that joint and several liability is an unjust doctrine or that it should necessarily be eliminated upon the adoption of comparative negligence. In view of the public policy considerations bearing on the issue, this Court believes that the viability of the doctrine is a matter which should best be decided by the legislature. Consequently, we approve the decision of the district court of appeal. It is so ordered.

Biology Properties of water lab Essay

Procedure The independent variables for this experiment are the types of water solutions used. The dependent variable is the boiling temperature of the water which will be measured by a thermometer. The control group is the water. The constants are the Stove top and amount of water used in each solution the starting temperature of the water and the Pot. 1. Pour 2 cups of water in the pot add 1 tablespoon of sugar then stir it up until all sugar is dissolved. 2. Turn on the stove, set the stove to it’s highest setting, place the pot on and time it with a stopwatch. Record the  time and temperature of the solution as soon as it begins to boil. Record the data on your table. 3. Rinse pot vigorously to remove impurities, and allow the stovetop to cool. 4. Pour 2 cups of water in the pot add 1 tablespoon of salt and stir. Repeat steps 2 and 3. 5. Pour 2 cups of water in the pot then add 1 tablespoon of water. Repeat step 2. Observations When boiling the water it was quite pure and clear. There was no smell to it0 when boiling the salt water it was cloudy and the bottom of the pot was coated with salt. When boiling the sugar water it was cloudy but no residue was left in the pot. Conclusion Based on the graphs water has the highest boiling point over both salt and sugar water. The sugar water took the most energy to begin to boil and the salt water took the least as the heat evaporated some of the salt, which was left coating the pan. I don’t think we changed the waters boiling point by adding a new substance but we did change how fast it would come to a boil by making it more or less dense.

Mississippi’s school Essay

The SAGE program in partnership with John Hopkins University of Baltimore Maryland, invites, states or districts to become members in improving the student achievement in the potential members’ schools. Through the National Network of Partnership Schools, SAGE and others in the network will work states, districts and other educational organization members to form an Action Team for Partnership plan. Members follow the Six Types of Involvement format (NNPS online). Five years of NNPS surveys and result focused studies on member schools’ progress has been reported (2005). NNPS uses research results to develop practical tools, materials, and guidelines for schools and school districts. Presently, over 1000 schools, 100 districts, and 17 state departments of education are working with NNPS to use research-based approaches to establish and strengthen their programs of school, family, and community partnerships (2005). It is suggested that incorporating the following elements create better programs and outreaching to parents of the students and increased parental involvement (2005). 1. Leadership 2. Teamwork 3. Action plans 4. Implementation of plans 5. Funding 6. Collegial support 7. Evaluation 8. Networking Results from longitudinal studies showed that â€Å" a review of literature on family involvement with students on reading, indicated that, across the grades, subject specific interventions to involve families in reading and related language arts, positively affected students’ reading skills and scores (Sheldon & Epstein, 2005b). The original SAGE pilot program research involved participants of which fifty percent were below the poverty level (Vinson, 2002). Participating classes were reduced from average size to fifteen students per teacher. An evaluation by Molinar, Smith and Zahorik (1999) revealed that the first grade SAGE students demonstrated higher achievement when compared to nonparticipating schools in both language arts and math. Second and third graders were reported to follow the same pattern. The third study to be reviewed is the Prime Time (1984) project in Indiana. This was originally planned to be a two year project started in 1984 but it had such promising results that by 1988 all k-3 classes were reduced in Indiana. The average FTE was eighteen. In 1989, McGivern, Gilman and Tillitski compared samples of achievement levels of second graders from six districts with reduced class sizes and three districts that were not reduced and found significantly larger gains in reading and math among students of smaller classes. As with project STAR, SAGE has suffered criticism. Limitations mentioned were that â€Å"students were not assigned to experimental control groups on a random basis†, and that school policies were changed and implemented during the course of the study (Vinson, 2002). A widely criticized factor was the use of teacher incentives to motivate small classroom achievement. As mentioned previously, opinions on class size vary. Over the years several researchers have analyzed studies and evaluated the effectiveness of each. Glass and Smith (1979) found after analyzing seventy-seven empirical studies on class size versus student achievement, that small classes were associated with higher achievement at all grade levels. For greatest results in student achievement, students should attend small classes for over one-hundred hours (1979), with under twenty students. Small classes are beneficial because of 1) better student reaction 2) teacher morale and 3) quality of the teaching environment (Vinson, 2002). In a review of one-hundred relevant studies, small classes had been the most beneficial, during kindergarten and third grade, but only if teachers change their methods and procedures (Robinson and Wittebols, 1986). Slavin’s (1990) research of empirical studies, were chosen for analysis based on a three part criteria; 1) class size had been reduced for at least one year 2) twenty students were compared to substantially larger class sizes and 3) students in both class sizes were comparable (1990). Contrary to previously mentioned researchers, Slavin believed that smaller class size had minimal positive effects on students and those effects did not continue once students were returned to normal, larger classes (1990). A highly published researcher, Eric Hanushek has voiced his opposition to small classes benefiting student achievement since the mid-1980s. In all his reviews of class size studies, he’s always concluded that; â€Å"The evidence about improvements in student achievement that can be attributed to smaller classes turns out to be meager and unconvincing (Vinson, 2002)†. Johnson (2000), citing a study at the Heritage Foundation examining National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading data, asserted that the difference in reading assessment scores between students in small classes and students in large classes was insignificant. He criticized class size reduction programs citing California as example of how such programs exacerbate the problem of lack of qualified teachers to fill classrooms. His claim of the lack of association between class size and performance was consistent with Hanushek’s conclusions (1999). Studies of the effects of class size in secondary schools are much more rare and largely equivocal (Deutsch 2003; Grissmer 1999). Many of those who advocate for smaller class sizes at the secondary level argue that small classes positively impact the school environment, thus, improving performance indirectly. In her review of the literature of class size and secondary schools, Deutsch (2003) highlights studies that conclude small classes stimulate student engagement, allow more innovative instructional strategies, increase teacher-student interactions, reduce the amount of time teachers devote to discipline, improve teacher morale, and minimize feelings of isolation and alienation in adolescence that can come from anonymity. Another important process variable the researcher will investigate is the effects of school policy on student achievement. An influential policy becoming common in schools is that of parental support and teacher incentives. As with the other factors in this model, conclusions about the effects of both on student performance has been mixed, but recent studies seem to point to more positive correlations, particularly teacher experience (Hedges, Lane, and Greenwald 1994). Mississippi’s Department of Education’s Schools and Parents Partnering for Student Success is a brochure given to the parents of Mississippi public school students to educate them on what level of proficiency their child should be on in an attempt to form a relationship between school and home. Strategies for improving student achievement according to Mississippi’s School.

Portfolio of documents and exercises 04101 Essay

Portfolio of documents and exercises 04101 - Essay Example Include organising, leading or group activities. Those requiring initiative, creativity or giving intellectual development are also of interest. The following questions are designed to encourage you to provide specific abilities. Your examples can be taken from your education, work experience, placements or spare-time or other voluntary activities but do not write solely about course-work. Describe a challenging project, activity or event which you have planned and taken through to a conclusion. Include your objective, what you did, any changes you made to your plan and state how you measured your success. ï‚ · To analyze the extent of change in customer satisfaction due to either a change in customer expectations over Mobile Number Portability services before and after availing it or a change in the services provided by the mobile network operators to its customers which further lead them to avail MNP. ï‚ · Thus to suggest strategic and tactical actions for slowing down the rate of customer loss, increase customer satisfaction and attracting customers who are unhappy with their existing service contributor. Describe how you achieved a goal through influencing the actions or opinions of others (perhaps in a team context). What were the circumstances? What did you do to make a difference? How do you know the result was satisfactory? During the second year of my studies, I had a group assignment which required all the group members to prepare a presentation on one of our course modules. I myself chose to lead the team precisely because I could understand that other individuals in the team were reluctant to lead the way. The first major circumstance that came in front of me was that my team was formed of people belonging from different culture. This was mainly due to the fact that the five individuals within the group came from different countries. Therefore, it was important for me to understand the acceptance, tolerance and