Thursday, December 26, 2019

Chronic Absenteeism Related to Drop-out Rates

While most educators, students, and parents  think of September as back-to-school month, that same  month recently has been given another important education designation. Attendance Works, a national initiative that is  dedicated to improving the policy, practice and research around school attendance has named September as National Attendance Awareness Month. Student absences are at crisis levels. A September 2016 report Preventing Missed Opportunity: Taking Collective Action to Confront Chronic Absence using data provided by the  U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reveals that: the  promise of an equal opportunity to learn is being broken for far too many children... More than 6.5 million students, or about 13 percent, miss three or more weeks of school, which is enough time to erode their achievement and threaten their chance of graduating.  Nine out of 10 U.S. school districts experience some level of chronic absenteeism among students. To counter this problem,  Attendance Works,  a fiscally-sponsored project of the Child and Family Policy Center non-profit organization, is working as a  national and state initiative that  promotes better policy and practice around school attendance. According to the organizations  website, We [Attendance Works]  promote tracking chronic absence data for each student beginning in kindergarten, or ideally earlier, and partnering with families and community agencies to intervene when poor attendance is a problem for students or schools. Attendance is a critically important factor in education, from developing national funding formulas  to predicting graduation outcomes.  Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which guides federal investments in elementary and secondary education for states, has chronic absenteeism as  reporting element.   At every grade level, in every school district, across the nation,  educators know first hand that too many absences can  disrupt  a students learning and the learning of others. Research on Attendance A student is considered chronically absent if they miss only  two days of school per month  (18 days in a year), whether the absences are excused or unexcused.  Research shows that by  middle and high school, chronic absence is a leading warning sign that a student will drop out. This research from the National Center on Educational Statistics noted that differences  in absentee rates and projections for graduation  were observed as early as kindergarten.  Those students who eventually dropped out of high school had missed significantly more days of school in first grade than their peers who later graduated from high school. Moreover, in a study by E.  Allensworth  and J. Q. Easton, (2005) called  The On-Track Indicator as a Predictor of High School Graduation: In eighth grade, this [attendance]  pattern was even more apparent and, by ninth grade, attendance was shown to be a key indicator significantly correlated with high school graduation (Allenworth/Easton). Their study  found attendance and studying more predictive of dropout than test scores or other student characteristics. In fact, 9th grade attendance was a better predictor of [student] dropout than 8th grade test scores. Steps can be taken at the upper-grade levels, grades 7 through 12, and  Attendance Works offers  several suggestions to counter attitudes that prevent students from attending school. These suggestions include: Incentives/rewards/recognition provided  for good attendance;Personal calls (to home, to students) as reminders;  Adult mentors and after  school leaders trained to reinforce the importance of attendance;Curriculum that features engaging, team-based activities that students do not want to miss;  Ã‚  Academic support provided to students who are struggling;  Efforts to make  school a place of success rather than a negative experience;Engaging community partners, such as health providers and criminal justice agencies. National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) Test Data A state-by-state analysis of NAEP  testing data shows that students who miss more school than their peers score lower on the NAEP tests in grades 4 and 8. These lower scores were found to be consistently true in every racial and ethnic group and in every state and city examined. In many cases,  the students with more absences have skill levels one to two years below their peers. In addition: While students from low-income families are more likely to be chronically absent, the ill effects of missing too much school hold true for all socio-economic groups. Grade 4 test data,  absentee students scored an average 12 points lower on the reading assessment than those with no absences, more than a full grade level on the NAEP achievement scale. Supporting the theory that academic loss is cumulative,  Grade 8  absentee students scored an average 18 points lower on the math assessment.   Mobile Apps Connect  to Parents and Other Stakeholders Communication is one-way educators can work to reduce student absenteeism. There are a growing number of mobile  apps educators can use to connect educators with students and parents. These software platforms share daily classroom activities (example:  Collaborize Classroom, Google Classroom,  Edmodo). Many of these platforms allow parents and authorized stakeholders to see short and long term  assignments and individual student work. Other mobile messaging apps (Remind,  Bloomz,  Classpager,  Class Dojo,  Parent Square)  are great resources  to increase regular communication between a students  home and school.  Ã‚  These messaging platforms can  allow teachers to emphasize  attendance from day one. These mobile apps can be tailored to providing student updates on individual attendance or used to sharing data about the importance of attendance in order to promote  a culture of attendance all year long. Conferences:  Traditional Connections to Parents and Other Stakeholders There are also more traditional methods to share the importance  of regular attendance with all stakeholders. At the beginning of the school year, teachers can leverage the time during a  parent-teacher conference to talk about attendance if there are already signs or a pattern to a student missing school. Mid-year conferences or conference requests can be helpful in making face-to-face connections that   Teachers  can take the opportunity to make suggestions to parents or guardians that  older students need routines for  homework and  sleep. Cell phones, video games, and computers should not be part of a bedtime routine. Too tired to go to school should not be an excuse. Teachers and school administrators  should also  encourage families to  avoid extended vacations during the school year and to try to line up vacations with the school’s schedule of days off or holidays. Finally, teachers and school administrators  should remind parents and guardians of the academic importance of planning doctor and dentist appointments during  after school hours. Announcements regarding a schools attendance policy should be made at the beginning of the school year and repeated regularly throughout the school year.   Newsletters, Flyers, Posters, and Websites The school website should promote daily attendance. Updates on daily school attendance should be displayed on the home pages of every school. The high visibility of this information will help to reinforce the importance of school attendance. Information about the negative impact of absenteeism and the positive role daily attendance has on academic achievement can be placed in newsletters, on posters and circulated on flyers. Placement of these flyers and posters are not limited to the school property. Chronic absenteeism is a community problem, particularly at the upper-grade levels, as well. A coordinated effort to share information about academic damage caused by chronic absenteeism should be shared throughout the local community. Business and political leaders in the community should receive regular updates on how well students are meeting the goal of improving daily attendance. Additional information should feature the  importance of attending  school as a students most important job. Anecdotal information such as the facts listed on this flyer for high school parents or  listed below can be promoted in schools and throughout the community: Missing one or two days a month can add up to nearly 10 percent of the school year.  Students who attend school set up the routines for future employment and showing up for work on time every day.Students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate and find good jobs. High school  graduates make, on average, a million dollars more than a dropout over a lifetime.School only gets harder when students  stay home.  Too many absent students can affect the whole classroom, creating redundant instruction and slowing down other students. Conclusion Students who miss school, whether the absences are  sporadic or on consecutive days of school, miss academic time in their classrooms that cannot be made up. While some absences are unavoidable, it is critically important to have students in school for learning. Their academic success depends on daily attendance at every grade level.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter - 2174 Words

Children encompass parents’ lives from the day they are born into this world, often altering their plans for the future and their desired outcomes for life. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the most seemingly complex and misinterpreted of characters is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The deviations in Pearl’s temperament, conduct, and character in the progression of the plot are a guide to the varying moral statuses of Hester and Dimmesdale. Performing the role of a compelling, rather than static force within the novel, Pearl saves both Hester and Dimmesdale, even motivating Dimmesdale to confess publically his sins and reminding Hester of her sin. As a result, Pearl serves as a moral guide to both her mother and father throughout the entirety of the novel. Pearl functions to both reprimand and redeem Hester, ultimately guiding her to salvation. Pearl’s navigation of her mother’s moral compass intensifies when the two are in Governor Bellingham’s house delivering gloves for the Puritan leader. In Governor Bellingham’s manor, Hester conveys to the Puritan governor, â€Å"God gave me the child†¦Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin?† (Hawthorne 174). Hester, worried about losing her only child, explains that Pearl is the punishment, above all else, for the sin of adulteryShow MoreRelatedNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1187 Words   |  5 PagesPuritanism in Red Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter shows the early view of Puritanism by concentrating on sin, guilt, and its effects on society. Nathaniel Hawthorne conveyed a dark and romantic style of writing in â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, impacting the society by focusing on the concepts of romanticism. The Scarlet Letter is considered a classic book and is still read today. Nathaniel Hathorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. He was the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth ClarkRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1631 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s personal isolation originated in his early childhood and later developed the theme for his most renowned literary novel, The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasized the impact that societal isolation can have on individuals. Several of the victims inflicted with isolation throughout the novel were ultimately met with their inevitable downfalls. One particular character, Hester Prynne, was selected to undergo a struggle comparable to Hawthorne’sRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1896 Words   |  8 PagesIn a surface examination of the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is quickly evident that no good things come from the wilderness. Therein, the wilderness is often associated with the savages and the devil. In his wor k The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne finds herself exiled by society for having an adulterous affair with the town reverend which brought forth the child known as Pearl. Pearl is quickly established as the child of the wilderness: wild, capricious, and thought by the town to be a demon-childRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1944 Words   |  8 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne adds a satirical twist throughout his novel The Scarlet Letter which manifests his perception of the Puritanism. The novel portrays the strictness and impact of Puritanism on human lives. Hawthorne’s usage of Puritan characters and outcasts also demonstrate Hawthorne’s position on Puritanism. Throughout Hawthorne’s novel, all of the characters in this novel represent strong Puritan belief, Puritan lifestyle, strong resistance to Puritanism, and satirical Puritan lifestyles. HawthorneRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter869 Words   |  4 Pagesview of human life. The mo st famous Dark Romantic writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, emphasizes human proneness to sin and self-destruction, uses symbols that are considered dark, and believes that evil can overtake good. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne employs elements of Romanticism and symbolism to communicate the idea that sin and guilt have psychological effects which can turn into physical and mental manifestations. Hawthorne utilizes the romantic element of the focus on the individualRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1193 Words   |  5 PagesThe Scarlet Letter, is most often referred to as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s best work. It gives a detailed image of life in a Puritan society. The heroine of the book-Hester Prynne, defies power, and rebels against colonial rule. Laws composed of religious convictions and individual beliefs. Through Hester’s action, you can depict a feminist consciousness. She differs from traditional colonial woman who s sole purpose it to be obedient, despite the unfair rules carried out by puritan men. Hester representsRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1850 Words   |  8 PagesShe s an archetype. She is Eve. She s Juno. She the good woman gone bad. She is Hester Prynne. As part of NPR s series, In Character, my colleague, Andrea Seabrook, shows how this Puritan woman is still very much alive today. ANDREA SEABROOK: Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne s magnum opus The Scarlet Letter. Any serious literary scholar will tell you that she is one of the first strong women in American literature and is still among the most important. She s veiled(ph)Read MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter2106 Words   |  9 Pagespeople of other religions. Because they â€Å"deeply and fervently believed that they were doing the work of God†, Puritans often punished and shunned those who did not follow their rules or share their same views (Collier 62). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne presents these popular ideas and truths about the Puritan way of living in a symbolic story of submissive defiance. He creates a strong feminist that contradicts the majority of the Puritan views on feminism. This rebelliousRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1606 Words   |  7 PagesMarin Fallon Mrs. Janosy English 2H 23 November 2015 Sin in the The Scarlet Letter The story of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one with many twists and turns. A young woman moves to Boston, Massachusetts while her husband takes care of affairs in England. After two years pass she secretly has an affair with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. When she becomes pregnant and gives birth to her daughter Pearl, the town punishes her for committing the act of adultery. She is sentenced to standRead MoreSymbolism Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter882 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter was a novel written in the 1850 s by a man named Nathaniel Hawthorne. Throughout the Scarlet Letter he uses scads of literary devices. The literary devices are there to give the novel more depth. The main device he uses in the novel is symbolism. Hawthorne uses the symbolism to make an object have more than one meaning. Three of the elements he uses as symbols are the scarlet letter, Pearl, and the forest. These symbols are seen differently by the

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Coolest nationalities free essay sample

Americans have been voted the coolest people In the world In an international poll conducted by a social networking site. Americans are number five on the list of coolest nationalities. Because of great inventions like Reckon Roll. And Americans are the coolest guys in the world including the worlds coolest leader, Obama; the coolest rappers, Jay-Z and Snoop Dog; and the coolest man in technology, Steve Jobs of Apple.Mongolias are number four. Because of their great tradition, history, animals, yurt (egger), traditional clothes, music, beautiful nature, wilderness and only country who have eagles as a pet. Mongolia is absolutely one of the coolest countries. Number three is Jamaican. Because they have most distinctive and recognizable hairstyle. For coolest nationalities, Singapore are number 2 because of their super computers and electrics. Brazilian are the coolest nationalities in the world because they have hot workers and very sexy people.Thanks to Braziers fun-loving zeal and Its myriad carnivals. We will write a custom essay sample on Coolest nationalities or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Without Brazilian we would not have soccer and wonderful dances. It is possible to call an entire nation cool. It is not fair to say one nation is more cool than another. The main problem is, of course, every nationality in the world believes it is the coolest. When I heard of this news on CNN, I was very surprised. Because I had been thinking that nobody knows Mongolia except Mongolias. By watching the news, I Just found out that people in world know our mutton.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Skinners Theory on Operant Conditioning free essay sample

B.F. Skinner (1904-199) was an American psychologist, profoundly known to be the ‘father’ of operant conditioning. After the retirement of John B. Watson, the world was eager to see new modes of learning; and Skinner, similarly to Pavlov â€Å"worked with animals [†¦] and made systematic use of the methodology of independent and dependent variables† (Harrà ©, 2005: p.15); and Operant Conditioning was proposed which in my opinion remains one of the most important theories of the twentieth century.Woollard clarifies that â€Å"behaviourism is a theory of animal and human learning that focuses upon the behaviour of the learner and the change in behaviour that occurs when learning takes place† (Woollard, 2010:1). The learning is demonstrated by a pupil’s response and behaviour to a given stimulus and therefore can be described as an external event that occurs that can produce an observed change in the way in which a child behaves. This form of learning can be described as conditioning and can be split up into 2 types: classical and operant conditioning. We will write a custom essay sample on Skinners Theory on Operant Conditioning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Operant conditioning is a learning process in which behaviour can be altered and modified using reinforcement and punishment. It is reinforced or established by events that follow an action or happen prior to actioning and these can be described as consequences or antecedents. Reinforcement involves the use of consequences (positive or negative) that can strengthen a preferable behaviour and therefore it can be said that an reinforcer is then able to increase the chances of the required behaviour being repeated again. One of Skinner’s most notable works is the Skinner Box experiment in which he placed a rat in a cage with a lever and if the rat pulled on the lever food would be distributed into the cage and therefore the learned this behaviour by knowing the lever equalled a reward (in this case food).

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Size Of Government Example

The Size Of Government Example The Size Of Government – Coursework Example The Size of Government The Size of Government The government of any Nation is has a responsibility of solving problems involving the citizens of the same nation including reduction of poverty, ensuring safety and protection of the citizens from preventable harm, protecting civil liberties and civil rights, creating equal chances of the citizens to succeed. Just like any other institution, there is need for the government to expand in order to much the population of the subjects and be able to offer them optimum services (Cropf, 2008). The society is not made up of isolated individuals who are independently struggling for survival, but a closely woven community in which each one depends on the other. It is without doubt that there is a significant gap between the wealthy and the middle class and the poor in the American society. As such, the conservative view of allowing the government to stay away from the economy and creating a free market would increase this gap even further as it will allow the rich to prey further on the poor. In such a setting, the poor may not be exposed to as many opportunities for development as would the rich. Failure to regulate large corporations would lead to engagement in all forms of practices that would maximize profit at the expenses of the poor employees and consumers (Cropf, 2008). As such, taxation of the wealthy would create an equal opportunity for development and personal growth for the poor in the form of increased job opportunities, cheaper healthcare, and cheaper education. Contrary to the view that a large government burdens the American people, such a government ensures equal distribution of resources to different departments and promotes commitment towards meeting the numerous needs of the citizens while singling out each of the needs (Cropf, 2008).ReferenceCropf, R. A. (2008). American Public Administration: Public Service for the 21st Century (1st ed.). New York: Pearson Longman.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

A Review of Things Fall Apart essays

A Review of Things Fall Apart essays I really enjoyed reading the book Things Fall Apart. Achebe did an excellent job of portraying the pre-colonial culture of the Ibo. This book was not only educational, but entertaining as well. His ability to focus mainly on one individual and still show the complexity of the entire clans beliefs and self-governing tactics was incredible. It is hard to believe that he was able to show us so many aspects of the pre-colonial culture in so few pages. This book definitely left me wanting to learn more about their culture. Some of the areas, I feel, really stood out to show they were a civilized people included their social organization, their economic system, and their religious beliefs. The Ibo seemed to have a very structured social order. Everything from the way one attains status in the village to the way the people receive their guests leads me to believe this. The use of titles in the village to determine status demonstrates that they had a hierarchy of sorts in place, much like we have judges, mayors, senators, and a president. For instance, the egwugwu acted as judges by passing sentence in disputes between the people. Their use of titles also seemed to make up a sort of government. Along the same lines, the way they interacted shows that they were a civil people. They seemed to try to settle everything peaceably, if at all possible. As Achebe pointed out, they believed that a war of blame was an unjust thing. Also, the way they interacted between each other leads me to believe they were not the savages the English had thought. The sharing of the kola nut and palm wine between neighbors shows a mutual respect for each other. They seemed to have a deep feeling of kinship not only among their families, but with the clan as a whole as well. Although it may be considered somewhat primitive by English standards, the Ibo had an existing economic system as well. Their economy was...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Military Uniforms and Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Military Uniforms and Standards - Essay Example A distinct uniform and corresponding heraldic sign was one of the most essential factors in the ancient warfare enabling soldiers immediately determine the belonging of combatant   and at the same time maintain the unity of their group on the battlefield (Martin and Ullrich, 1963).However, in the medieval times there was barely a single feudal lord rich enough to maintain a standing army and, therefore, uniforms were extremely diverse. It was not until the end of the 17th century that the growth of commercial trades and development of centralized states led to emergence of large standing armies and typical military uniforms in the modern sense of this word. Those days on the military uniform started to increasingly acquire the meaning of patriotism and pride going beyond its initial purpose of mere identification. As a famous historian of European military costumes wrote, â€Å"The esprit de corps of standing armies on the Continent owed much to the jealously preserved traditions linked with their uniforms† (Martin and Ullrich, 1963, p.139).Eventually, the color of uniforms worn be large national standing armies became traditional. Thus, the British army adopted their famous red uniforms that lasted for more than two centuries until the transformation of warfare methods and strategies required camouflage clothes; the Russian army stuck to green uniforms, the French and Austrian militaries were dressed in white colors, and the Prussian troops wore blue colors. These colors dominated uniforms of all national militaries.... Those days on the military uniform started to increasingly acquire the meaning of patriotism and pride going beyond its initial purpose of mere identification. As a famous historian of European military costumes wrote, "The esprit de corps of standing armies on the Continent owed much to the jealously preserved traditions linked with their uniforms" (Martin and Ullrich, 1963, p.139). Eventually, the color of uniforms worn be large national standing armies became traditional. Thus, the British army adopted their famous red uniforms that lasted for more than two centuries until the transformation of warfare methods and strategies required camouflage clothes; the Russian army stuck to green uniforms, the French and Austrian militaries were dressed in white colors, and the Prussian troops wore blue colors (Keegan, 1993). These colors dominated uniforms of all national militaries while the distinction between various regiments within the army was achieved either through use of different colors of trousers, buttons, cuffs or other accessories. For example, up to now the five regiments of the British Foot Guards differ from each other due to the particular grouping of their uniform buttons (Wright, 1965). However, despite these differences the function of military uniforms worn those days was similar: to demonstrate belonging of the person to the army of a state showing the difference between particular branches or regiments without going beyond one unique style. This remains one of the key functions of the military uniform used nowadays. The importance of military uniforms worn by modern armies also act as a symbol of order and discipline that have traditionally been considered the most essential feature of military organizations. A

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Real Estate Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Real Estate Sustainability - Essay Example Therefore, the elevated performance by the standard chartered bank has resulted from its investments in energy proficient technologies that are within its buildings, inclusive of the smart lighting, the photovoltaic panels, effective cooling systems and water recycling among others. Standard chartered approaches the issue of sustainability of the real estate portfolio using four elements that include planet, profit, people and project ((Siemens, 2012). The methods that are employed in improving the sustainability of the real estate portfolio by the bank usually require a number of tools to support the improvements and deliver the major indicators such as access to energy and sanitation. The existing tools and management systems employed currently by the Bank include sustainable foot printing, LEED, BREEAM, and the IPD Environment code. These are the key assessment tools used by the bank for evaluating sustainable real estate portfolio. These tools normally go beyond measuring the efficiency of energy on a building and incorporate the spatial, economical and social aspects enabling the approach on planet people profit and project to be an extremely sustainable approach on real estate. BREEAM, which is one of the available tools at SCB (Standard Chattered Bank) for improving the sustainable real estate portfolio, is an environmental profiling type that assesses the environmental performance and construction material of a portfolio. The tool assesses transport, waste, water, heath, and energy among other things. The tool, which allows for a stimulation of demand for sustainable buildings and mitigation of the influences of a building on the environment, has been employed by the Bank and key indicators achieved in its implementation. Standard Chattered Bank recently secured an improved tool referred to as BREEAM

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Human Element Essay Example for Free

Human Element Essay This study is related to an important topic that influence the evolution of both public and private institutions via improving human resource management and, hence improving the human resource itself, which occupies a vital and outstanding position in the comprehensive development strategies. Also, because of the role that effective human resource plays in planning and implementing development. Therefore, human element is considered an investment in the bright future of the institutions. Human resource is an innovative element that is described as an interactive rather than a rigid element, which is able to coordinate, maintain a balance between the various constituent of production and take the responsibility for the results of operations. On the other hand, external circumstances, such as the economic, political, social cultural and environmental factors, affect human element more than any other element. The researcher has selected Giad Automobiles Manufacturing Co. LTD, as a case study to introduce the influence of human resource development on employees’ performance. The results have been determined based on the analysis of the employees’ responses to the questionnaire that surveyed the employees’ community in the company. The questionnaire has tested the following hypotheses: 1- There is a relationship between the development of human resource management and the development of the working human element. 2- There is a relationship between the development of the human element and the development and improvement of performance in the institution, which leads to an increase in the production and, hence achieving the objectives. The researcher has applied several methodologies, such as case study methodology, descriptive methodology, and statistical analysis. The researcher has confirmed the validity of all the above hypotheses, in addition to the research outcomes that have led the researcher to conclude the study with some suggestions and recommendations.

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Politics of Minimum Wage Essay -- Political Science Research Paper

The federally mandated minimum wage has been a divisive political issue in American politics since it first came into effect in 1938 under the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR advocated for the minimum wage with the argument that â€Å"all but the hopelessly reactionary will agree that to conserve our primary resources of manpower, government must have some control over maximum hours, minimum wages, the evil of child labor, and the exploitation of unorganized labor† (Greene 2013). This idea led to the passage of the first minimum wage law in American history, twenty five cents an hour (Greene 2013). Prior to the passage of this law, several state minimum wage laws had been struck down as an unconstitutional prohibition of workers’ rights to set the price for their own labor. However, in 1941, the Supreme Court case U.S v Darby Lumber Co upheld the federal minimum wage, overturning the precedent it had set for state level minimum wages. The Court dismissed the ar gument that Darby Lumber did not engage in interstate commerce based on the commerce clause and stated that Congress had the constitutional right to regulate interstate commerce, along with intrastate commerce that directly affected interstate commerce (U.S v Darby Lumber Co.1941). Justice Stone, writing for the majority stated that Congress â€Å"May chose the means reasonably adapted to the attainment of the permitted end (the minimum wage) even though they involve the control of intrastate activities. Such legislation has often been sustained with respect to powers other than the commerce power granted to the national government, when the means chosen, although not themselves within the granted power, were nevertheless deemed appropriate aids to the accomplishment of some... ...mieson, Dave. â€Å"Obama State of the Union Address: President Calls for raising the Minimum Wage,† Huffington Post. 13 February 2013. Armstrong, Ari â€Å"Minimum Wage Laws: Economically Harmful Because Immoral,† The Objective Standard. 7 March 2013. â€Å"Tipped Workers: Information† Raisetheminimumwage.com. U.S Department of Labor, â€Å"Bureau of Labor Unemployment Statistics: October 2013,† DOL.gov. U.S Department of Labor, â€Å"Minimum Wage by State,† DOL.gov. Worstall, Tim, â€Å"The Absurdity of a $15 Minimum Wage,† Forbes. 1 September 2013. Hanauer, Nick. â€Å"The Capitalist Case for a $15 minimum wage† Bloomberg News. 19 June 2013. Dreier, Peter. â€Å"Raising the Minimum Wage is good for Business (but the corporate lobby doesn’t think so,† Huffington Post. 23 February 2013. Internal Revenue Service, â€Å"EITC 2012.† Other source authors are directly stated in text. The Politics of Minimum Wage Essay -- Political Science Research Paper The federally mandated minimum wage has been a divisive political issue in American politics since it first came into effect in 1938 under the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR advocated for the minimum wage with the argument that â€Å"all but the hopelessly reactionary will agree that to conserve our primary resources of manpower, government must have some control over maximum hours, minimum wages, the evil of child labor, and the exploitation of unorganized labor† (Greene 2013). This idea led to the passage of the first minimum wage law in American history, twenty five cents an hour (Greene 2013). Prior to the passage of this law, several state minimum wage laws had been struck down as an unconstitutional prohibition of workers’ rights to set the price for their own labor. However, in 1941, the Supreme Court case U.S v Darby Lumber Co upheld the federal minimum wage, overturning the precedent it had set for state level minimum wages. The Court dismissed the ar gument that Darby Lumber did not engage in interstate commerce based on the commerce clause and stated that Congress had the constitutional right to regulate interstate commerce, along with intrastate commerce that directly affected interstate commerce (U.S v Darby Lumber Co.1941). Justice Stone, writing for the majority stated that Congress â€Å"May chose the means reasonably adapted to the attainment of the permitted end (the minimum wage) even though they involve the control of intrastate activities. Such legislation has often been sustained with respect to powers other than the commerce power granted to the national government, when the means chosen, although not themselves within the granted power, were nevertheless deemed appropriate aids to the accomplishment of some... ...mieson, Dave. â€Å"Obama State of the Union Address: President Calls for raising the Minimum Wage,† Huffington Post. 13 February 2013. Armstrong, Ari â€Å"Minimum Wage Laws: Economically Harmful Because Immoral,† The Objective Standard. 7 March 2013. â€Å"Tipped Workers: Information† Raisetheminimumwage.com. U.S Department of Labor, â€Å"Bureau of Labor Unemployment Statistics: October 2013,† DOL.gov. U.S Department of Labor, â€Å"Minimum Wage by State,† DOL.gov. Worstall, Tim, â€Å"The Absurdity of a $15 Minimum Wage,† Forbes. 1 September 2013. Hanauer, Nick. â€Å"The Capitalist Case for a $15 minimum wage† Bloomberg News. 19 June 2013. Dreier, Peter. â€Å"Raising the Minimum Wage is good for Business (but the corporate lobby doesn’t think so,† Huffington Post. 23 February 2013. Internal Revenue Service, â€Å"EITC 2012.† Other source authors are directly stated in text.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

What is a monopoly and what is required

Monopoly is at the opposite end of the spectrum of market models from perfect competition. A monopoly firm has no rivals. It is the only firm in its industry. There are no close substitutes for the good or service a monopoly produces. Not only does a monopoly firm have the market to itself, but it also need not worry about other firms entering. In the case of monopoly, entry by potential rivals is prohibitively difficult. A monopoly does not take the market price as given; it determines its own price.It selects from its demand curve the price that corresponds to the quantity the firm has hosen to produce in order to earn the maximum profit possible. In assuming there is one firm in a market, we assume there are no other firms producing goods or services that could be considered part of the same market as that of the monopoly firm. The result is a model that gives us important insights into the nature of the choices of firms and their impact on the economy. There are some Advantages o f a Monopoly. The Monopolies avoids duplications and hence wastage of resources.Enjoys economics of scale, due to it being the only supplier of the product or service n the market, makes many profits and be used for research and development to maintain their status as a monopoly. They also use price discrimination to benefit the weaker economic section of society. To avoid competition, they can afford to invest in the latest technology and machinery. There are some Disadvantages of a Monopoly. Monopolies have poor levels of service, there is no consumer sovereignty, the consumers are charged high prices for such low quality goods, and lack of competition could lead to low quality goods, as well as out dated goods.First off, any arket type can see super normal profits in the short-run. What is more important is what happens in the end. Pure monopolies are not the only monopoly that can make profits. Natural Monopoly or a price discriminating monopoly can make profits as well. The onl y difference between them is â€Å"why' they are monopolies to begin with. Oligopolies are not monopolies, although they do tend to make above normal profits. Monopolistic competition does not yield these types of profits in the end. Economic profit goes to zero here in the end because there is a lack of barriers here to prevent competition from entering.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

7P’s of AirAsia Essay

Product can be differentiating at the services marketing as intangible goods or services [Rafliq. M & Ahmed. P. K. 1995].This means that services are provided by the Airasia also can classify as a product. Airasia had extended its services to different part of world. The research was found that, the majority of respondent was moderately satisfied in every part of product. When considering in each part of product researcher found that, respondents satisfied in part of quality of food and beverage, AirAsia magazine, variety of food & beverage and AirAsia souvenir respectively. 3.2 Price Price is for the marketers to deciding a pricing strategy and the amount a customer willing to pays for the product [Rafliq. M & Ahmed. P. K. 1995]. From the total sample of this research it was found that, the majority of respondent was moderately satisfied in every part of price. When considering in each part of price researcher found that, respondents were satisfied in part of the worth of price compared with distance, pre-booking meal (get 20 percent discount), price of food & beverage, pick a seat (add RM 50) and excess baggage charge (add RM 50 ) respectively. 3.3 Place From the total sample of the research it was found that, the majority of respondent was satisfied level in every part of place [Gama. D. A. P. 2011]. Is that convenience for the consumers to buy their products? When considering in each part of place, researcher found that there were two points of that had the same rating as the most satisfied; booking ticket via AirAsia’s website and payment through credit card, the second was there are many destinations available and next was check-in counters are available and sufficient and lastly was Air-Malaysia counter service. 3.4 Promotion From the total sample of the research was found that, the majority of respondent was satisfied level in every part of promotion [Gama. D. A. P. 2011]. When considering in each part of promotion, researcher found that the  most satisfaction was promotion for new destination, the second was promotion for special festival or events and frequent advertisement and next was promotion for booking ticket including hotel room, finally was condition of promotion accuracy and easy to understand. 3.5 People From the total sample of the research it was found that, the majority of respondent was satisfied level in every part of people [Gama. D. A. P. 2011]. When considering in each part of people, the researcher found that there were two points that had the same rating as most satisfied; Booking ticket via AirAsia’s website and payment through credit card, the second was there are many destinations available and next was Check-in counters are available and sufficient and lastly was AirAsia counter service. 3.6 Process From the total sample of the research it was found that, the majority of respondent was satisfied level in every part of process [Gama. D. A. P. 2011]. When considering in each part of process, the researcher found that the most satisfactions in part of process was information about schedule, destination on AirAsia’s website, suitability of flight schedules, fast check-in process, depart and arrive on time and get baggage rapidly. 3.7 Physical Evidence From the total sample of the research it was found that, the majority of respondent was moderately satisfied level in every part of physical evidence [Gama. D. A. P. 2011]. When considering in each part of physical evidence researcher found that, respondents were satisfied in part of space of storage compartment and demonstrate the emergency instrument, cleanliness of cabin and lavatory, seat position and comfort of cabin seat respectively.

Friday, November 8, 2019

An analysis of Trainspotting Essay Example

An analysis of Trainspotting Essay Example An analysis of Trainspotting Paper An analysis of Trainspotting Paper Scene Analysis: The opening speech of the film Trainspotting is accompanied by a speedy soundtrack visual style. It opens with a scene of the films main character, Mark Renton, jumping over a car and running down the street from the store he just robbed, the sense of urgency throughout the film is established immediately. Aurally there is Rentons Choose Life speech and Iggy Pops Lust for Life playing as the soundtrack. In Throughout the speech Renton is rejecting the yuppie culture of a nuclear family, material possessions, a paying job, and dental insurance, he is rebelling, but this isnt just the usual disaffection of youth as it is a deeper, more pervasive dissatisfaction with a culture he views as sick and stifling. The song Lust for Life plays almost in its entirety, and the quick editing during this sequence between the running down the street, a soccer match, Renton passing out from shooting smack, and a scene in Mother Superiors flat. These divergent scenes are all interconnected by the song and Rentons continuing witty narration. These first six scenes, until the point that Renton first tries unsuccessfully to quit heroin cold turkey, are edited with quick camera cuts and connected by the soundtrack. When Renton first enters the bar where he uses the worst toilet in Scotland, we are greeted for the first time with the point of view shots. Through Rentons eyes, we see the bored faces of the people in the bar, the long and harrowing hallway to the bathroom, and finally the repulsive toilet itself. Over the soundtrack, we hear an classical-styled orchestral piece. Trainspotting uses this music to create an ironic backdrop to the films disgusting toilet scene. The combination of the beautiful music and a nauseating scene makes the scene memorable. The toilet scene also represents the first use of a hallucinatory scene, but later scenes of Rentons detoxification were stronger in this area. The diving down into the toilet by Renton looks unrealistic, and the water underneath seems too clean and blue to related to the murky water above. It could be argued that the scene was supposed to show Renton escaping the conditions through his mind, but it also seems unfaithful to Irvine Welshs novel and weakens the scene. When Renton is at the door of the room that holds the grotesque toilet, we see digitally written across the bathroom door is the worst toilet in Scotland. This is the second use of titles in the film, much in the same way the major characters were freeze-framed and given names over the freeze frames in the opening scene. The use of titles is yet another visual style of the film that the creators of the film exploit well. Boyle uses quick editing throughout the film to establish its frenetic pace and lives of the characters. This creates an erratic sense of story-telling that is able to bring in a number of scenes that exist not necessarily to propel the story, but to propel the frantic vitality and humour of the film.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Temperance Movement and Prohibition Timeline

Temperance Movement and Prohibition Timeline The 19th and early 20th century saw considerable organizing for temperance or prohibition.   Temperance usually refers to seeking to inspire individuals to moderate liquor use or abstain from drinking liquor. Prohibition usually refers to making it illegal to manufacture or sell alcohol. The Effects on Families   The effects of drunkenness on families―in a society in which women had limited rights to divorce or custody, or even to control their own earnings―and the growing evidence of medical effects of alcohol, prompted efforts to convince individuals to take the pledge to abstain from alcohol, and then to persuade states, localities and eventually the nation to prohibit the manufacture and sale of alcohol. Some religious groups, notably the Methodists, believed that drinking liquor was sinful. The Progressive Movement By the early 20th century, the liquor industry, like other industries, had extended its control. In many cities, saloons and taverns were controlled or owned by liquor companies. The growing presence of women in the political sphere was accompanied by and reinforced by the belief that women had a special role in preserving families and health and thus to work to end liquor consumption, manufacture and sale. The Progressive movement often took the side of temperance and prohibition. The 18th Amendment   In 1918 and 1919, the federal government passed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, making manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors illegal under its power to regulate interstate commerce.   The proposal became the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919 and took effect in 1920.  It was the First Amendment to include a time limit for ratification, though it was quickly ratified by 46 of the 48 states. Decriminalizing the Liquor Industry   It was soon clear that criminalizing liquor had increased the power of organized crime and the corruption of law enforcement, and that consumption of liquor continued.   By the early 1930s, public sentiment was on the side of decriminalizing the liquor industry, and in 1933, the 21st Amendment overturned the 18th and prohibition ended. Some states continued to permit a local option for prohibition or to control liquor statewide. The following timeline shows the chronology of some of the major events in the movement to convince individuals to abstain from liquor and the movement to prohibit commerce in liquor. Timeline Year Event 1773 John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, preached that drinking alcohol was sinful. 1813 Connecticut Society for the Reformation of Morals founded. 1813 Massachusetts Society for the Suppression of Intemperance founded. 1820s The consumption of alcohol in the U.S. was 7 gallons per capita per year. 1826 Boston area ministers founded the American Temperance Society (ATS). 1831 American Temperance Society had 2,220 local chapters and 170,000 members. 1833 American Temperance Union (ATU) founded, merging two existing national temperance organizations. 1834 American Temperance Society had 5,000 local chapters and 1 million members. 1838 Massachusetts prohibited the sale of alcohol in amounts less than 15 gallons. 1839 September 28: Frances Willard born. 1840 Consumption of alcohol in the U.S. had been lowered to 3 gallons of alcohol per year per capita. 1840 Massachusetts repealed its 1838 prohibition law but permitted local option. 1840 Washington Temperance Society founded in Baltimore on April 2, named for the first U.S. president. Its members were reformed heavy drinkers from the working class who took the pledge to abstain from alcohol, and the movement to establish local Washington Temperance Societies was called the Washingtonian movement. 1842 John B. Gough took the pledge and began lecturing against drinking, becoming a major orator for the movement. 1842 Washington Society publicized that they had inspired 600,000 abstinence pledges. 1843 Washington Societies had mostly disappeared. 1845 Maine passed statewide prohibition; other states followed with what were called Maine laws. 1845 In Massachusetts, under the 1840 local option law, 100 towns had local prohibition laws. 1846 November 25: Carrie Nation (or Carry) born in Kentucky: future prohibition activist whose method was vandalism. 1850 Consumption of alcohol in the U.S. had been lowered to 2 gallons of alcohol per year per capita. 1851 Maine prohibited the sale or making of any alcoholic beverage. 1855 13 of the 40 states had prohibition laws. 1867 Carrie (or Carry) Amelia Moore married Dr. Charles Gloyd; he died in 1869 of the effects of alcoholism. Her second marriage was in 1874, to David A. Nation, a minister, and attorney. 1869 National Prohibition Party founded. 1872 National Prohibition Party nominated James Black (Pennsylvania) for President; he received 2,100 votes 1873 December 23: Womens Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) organized. 1874 Womens Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) officially founded at its Cleveland national convention. Annie Wittenmyer elected president and advocated focusing on the single issue of prohibition. 1876 Worlds Womens Christian Temperance Union founded. 1876 National Prohibition Party nominated Green Clay Smith (Kentucky) for President; he received 6,743 votes 1879 Frances Willard became president of the WCTU. She led the organization in being active in working for a living wage, the 8-hour day, womens suffrage, peace, and other issues. 1880 National Prohibition Party nominated Neal Dow (Maine) for President; he received 9,674 votes 1881 WCTU membership was 22,800. 1884 National Prohibition Party nominated John P. St. John (Kansas) for President; he received 147,520 votes. 1888 The Supreme Court struck down state prohibition laws if they forbid the sale of alcohol that was transported into the state in its original passage, on the basis of the federal power to regulate interstate commerce. Thus, hotels and clubs could sell an unopened bottle of liquor, even if the state banned alcohol sales. 1888 Frances Willard elected president of the Worlds WCTU. 1888 National Prohibition Party nominated Clinton B. Fisk (New Jersey) for President; he received 249,813 votes. 1889 Carry Nation and her family moved to Kansas, where she began a chapter of the WCTU and began working to enforce the liquor ban in that state. 1891 WCTU membership was 138,377. 1892 National Prohibition Party nominated John Bidwell (California) for President; he received 270,770 votes, the largest any of their candidates ever received. 1895 American Anti-Saloon League founded. (Some sources date this to 1893) 1896 National Prohibition Party nominated Joshua Levering (Maryland) for President; he received 125,072 votes. In a party fight, Charles Bentley of Nebraska was also nominated; he received 19,363 votes. 1898 February 17: Frances Willard died. Lillian M. N. Stevens succeeded her as president of the WCTU, serving until 1914. 1899 Kansas prohibition advocate, nearly six foot tall Carry Nation, began a 10-year campaign against illegal saloons in Kansas, destroying furniture and liquor containers with an ax while dressed as a Methodist deaconess. She was often jailed; lecture fees and ax sales paid her fines. 1900 National Prohibition Party nominated John G. Woolley (Illinois) for President; he received 209,004 votes. 1901 WCTU membership was 158,477. 1901 WCTU took a position against the playing of golf on Sundays. 1904 National Prohibition Party nominated Silas C. Swallow (Pennsylvania) for President; he received 258,596 votes. 1907 The state constitution of Oklahoma included prohibition. 1908 In Massachusetts, 249 towns and 18 cities banned alcohol. 1908 National Prohibition Party nominated Eugene W. Chapin (Illinois) for President; he received 252,821 votes. 1909 There were more saloons than schools, churches or libraries in the United States: one per 300 citizens. 1911 WCTU membership was 245,299. 1911 Carry Nation, prohibition activist who destroyed saloon property from 1900-1910, died. She was buried in Missouri, where the local WCTU erected a tombstone with the epitaph She hath done what she could. 1912 National Prohibition Party nominated Eugene W. Chapin (Illinois) for President; he received 207,972 votes. Woodrow Wilson won the election. 1912 Congress passed a law overturning the Supreme Courts 1888 ruling, permitting states to forbid all alcohol, even in containers that had been sold in interstate commerce. 1914 Anna Adams Gordon became the fourth president of the WCTU, serving until 1925. 1914 The Anti-Saloon League proposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit the sale of alcohol. 1916 Sidney J. Catts elected Florida Governor as a Prohibition Party candidate. 1916 National Prohibition Party nominated J. Frank Hanly (Indiana) for President; he received 221,030 votes. 1917 Wartime prohibition passed. Anti-German feelings transferred to being against beer. Prohibition advocates argued that the liquor industry was an unpatriotic use of resources, especially grain. 1917 Senate and House passed resolutions with the language of the 18th Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. 1918 The following states ratified the 18th Amendment: Mississippi, Virginia, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Carolina, Maryland, Montana, Texas, Delaware, South Dakota, Massachusetts, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida. Connecticut voted against ratification. 1919 January 2 - 16: the following states ratified the 18th Amendment: Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Idaho, Maine, West Virginia, California, Tennessee, Washington, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oregon, North Carolina, Utah, Nebraska, Missouri, Wyoming. 1919 January 16: 18th Amendment ratified, establishing prohibition as the law of the land. The ratification was certified on January 29. 1919 January 17 - February 25: although the requisite number of states had already ratified the 18th Amendment, the following states also ratified it: Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania. Rhode Island became the second (of two) states to vote against ratification. 1919 Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilsons veto, establishing procedures and powers to enforce prohibition under the 18th Amendment. 1920 January: Prohibition Era began. 1920 National Prohibition Party nominated Aaron S. Watkins (Ohio) for President; he received 188,685 votes. 1920 August 26: the 19th Amendment, granting the vote to women, became law. (The Day the Suffrage Battle Was Won 1921 WCTU membership was 344,892. 1922 Although the 18th Amendment had already been ratified, New Jersey added its ratification vote on March 9, becoming the 48th of 48 states to take a position on the Amendment, and the 46th state to vote for ratification. 1924 National Prohibition Party nominated Herman P. Faris (Missouri) for President, and a woman, Marie C. Brehm (California), for Vice President; they received 54,833 votes. 1925 Ella Alexander Boole became president of the WCTU, serving until 1933. 1928 National Prohibition Party nominating William F. Varney (New York) for president, narrowly failing to endorse Herbert Hoover instead. Varney received 20,095 votes. Herbert Hoover ran on the party ticket in California and won 14,394 votes from that party line. 1931 Membership in the WCTU was at its peak, 372,355. 1932 National Prohibition Party nominated William D. Upshaw (Georgia) for President; he received 81,916 votes. 1933 Ida Belle Wise Smith became president of the WCTU, serving until 1944. 1933 21st Amendment passed, repealing the 18th Amendment and prohibition. 1933 December: 21st Amendment took effect, repealing the 18th Amendment and thus prohibition. 1936 National Prohibition Party nominated D. Leigh Colvin (New York) for President; he received 37,667 votes. 1940 National Prohibition Party nominated Roger W. Babson (Massachusetts) for President; he received 58,743 votes. 1941 WCTU membership had fallen to 216,843. 1944 Mamie White Colvin became president of the WCTU, serving until 1953. 1944 National Prohibition Party nominated Claude A. Watson (California) for President; he received 74,735 votes 1948 National Prohibition Party nominated Claude A. Watson (California) for President; he received 103,489 votes 1952 National Prohibition Party nominated Stuart Hamblen (California) for President; he received 73,413 votes. The party continued to run candidates in subsequent elections, never gaining as many as 50,000 votes again. 1953 Agnes Dubbs Hays became president of the WCTU, serving until 1959.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

EC 202 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

EC 202 - Essay Example Even recession in other foreign countries also have an effect in demand of a product of United States. After falling of aggregate demand, if there are no chances of raising it, then the producers will bring down the production level and to maintain the cost they will lay-off employees. This leads to increase in unemployment. As output is low, the demand for money will also get lower and that is why interest rate will be low. Here, price level will be become unchanged. The second shock is based on money and recession caused by credit limits. It is mainly caused for the low money supply and velocity with rises in price index. The reason behind it is tightened monetary policy where financial institutions try to reduce the amount of loan. As the money supply is low, the interest rate will become high which directly affects the demand for goods. And again same as demand caused recession the output and employment will be low. The third shock is cost- push inflation. It occurs mainly because of increase in the cost. At the first stage, it happens because of the raise of wage which ultimately raises the cost and then the price also. So, demand will become low and a result of that production will also be low and employment will get effected. Because of high level of price demand for money will raise which means interest rate will also rise. These are the effects of cause - push inflation. Growth problem indicate the higher level of gross domestic product (GDP). However, GDP increase the demand for money and so the interest rate becomes high but the demand for goods is comparatively low that is why producers start producing less which brings down the output as well as the employment. Ultimately the demand for money will become low which will lead to fall in interest rate. It is not necessary that inflation will happen because of the money every time; it can be caused by demand also. The relationship

Friday, November 1, 2019

Environmental Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Environmental Science - Essay Example ies to make the environment arsenic free and phytoremediation is considered one of the most efficient and cost effective ways to remove arsenic from arsenic contaminated soil. In this paper, Lampis et al, test the efficiency of a fern Pteris vittata inoculated with certain bacterial strains, on arsenic phytoextraction in an arsenic contaminated soil. The researchers aimed to investigate the capability of Pteris vittata or Chinese brake fern to remove arsenic from an arsenic contaminated soil sample when inoculated with certain bacterial strains. The soil sample sued for the study was procured from an arsenic contaminated area in in Scarlino Industrial area in Tuscany, Italy. This particular site served as a landfill area where almost 1.5milion tons of arsenopyrite cinders had been dumped thereby exposing the dump site to rain and subsequent leaching of the arsenic into the soil to the groundwater table. The researchers procured the rhizosphere of different autochthonous plants that grew in and around the Scarlino area and used the plant parts to extract bacterial strains that were naturally arsenic-resistant. They cultured the bacterial strain under laboratory conditions to obtain pure colonies. The ability of the bacteria to promote plant growth was also checked by conducting assay for IAA production and measuring the 1-amino-c yclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity. Taxonomic analysis of the bacterial isolates was conducted using both wet lab and dry lab methods. The researchers, at the end of the experiment, measured the biomass and the arsenic level in the roots as well as the fronds of the ferns. The results showed that there was a significant increase of almost 35% in the biomass of the plants which had been inoculated with bacteria when compared to those that had not received inoculation. The test results also confirmed that plants that received mixed inoculum had a greater capability to phytoextract arsenic from the soil as compared to

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Important Management Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Important Management Questions - Essay Example DMAIC method can be utilized when a product or a process is in existence at the company and does not meet the customer specification. In case of clinical practices setting, DMAIC tool can be effectively utilized when any kind of change in triggered. For instance, the health care organisation plans to introduce a new department such as neurology department for the patients. Such introduction necessitates the demand for change management in the healthcare setting. Therefore, all the aspects of DMAIC model need to be taken into consideration when bringing in such a change. At the outset, it is significant to create awareness regarding the change in the heath care organization. After having created awareness, the desire to change amongst those affected needs to be measured. Furthermore, it becomes essential to train the people and thus ensure that the organization has the ability to change. After having gained the necessary training, the people in the organization are capable of embracin g the desired change effectively. When a clinical administrator in an organization recognizes that the organization will be capable of adjusting with the change, only then change can be enforced. The Six Sigma DMAIC process can be implemented to identify the lacuna in the existing systems and to recognize how to correct them and thus implement required changes for the near future. DMAIC can be utilized in the clinical setting when the existing processes are not meeting the needs of the patients. FMEA Utilization in Performance Management FMEA stands for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. It is a methodical and proactive technique for assessing a method to recognize the probable ways in which it may fail. It further evaluates the influence of the failures, in order to determine the parts of the processes that require change. FMEA has been utilized in the health care industry for organizing the information that has been gathered on causes and their effects. FMEA can be utilized in the process conceptualization and design along with assessment stages. The concept can be consistently applied for constant quality improvement in care providing processes from planning through performance evaluation. In case of clinical practices, the various factors under which performance management can be evaluated have been mentioned in the table below: Factors For Consideration For Performance Management Through FMEA Gathering a team of clinical experts who are involved in a high-risk care process Identifying a trained facilitator Undertaking meetings to converse about a care process in detail Conducting analysis as well as scoring hazardous items upon the care process related maps Applying the indicated results High-risk care processes are generally those where the processes that are employed are generally fragmented and comprise people from numerous departments as well as disciplines for performing similar tasks. Results obtained from FMEA tend to explain and to prioritize fail ures in care providing process and thus facilitate to determine the root causes of such failures. The table below helps to explain the use of FMEA in performance management of the employees in the hospital. The Table Below Describes the FMEA Scoring Example: Function Potential Failure mode Potential effect(s) of failure S Potential causes(s) of failure O

Monday, October 28, 2019

Reflective Account Essay Example for Free

Reflective Account Essay A new little boy started recently in nursery, as he entered nursery i bent down, smiled giving him eye contact i then said hello using his name and told him mine and he smiled back. He had never been to nursery before and he was very excited and had no awareness of the daily routine. i calmly held out my hand and he held out his. holding each others hands i showed him where his name card was, he picked up his name card and we walked over to the self-registration board. i asked him what he would like to play with and he chose to play with the cars. but during his play he become very upset because he wanted to play with the red car and another child had the red car. so i bent down and placed my arm around him and asked to look at me. Tears were rolling down his face and i explained to him that when the other child had finished playing with the red car he would be able to have a turn. i then sat down next to him to take turns in using the garage and sharing the cars. During the session i continued to support him, during lunch time and throughout the session. On occasions when he was unsure of what to do we went over to the routine board and talked him through the pictures so he knew what was happening next. Reflection I felt that i reassured him by letting him know who i was and at all times i made sure i gained his attention by using his name and ensure that he was listening by making sure we gained eye contact before speaking. I helped him with understanding the daily routine and I helped him with his social skills by supporting him with understanding the we need to take turns and share. Next time Next time I will carry on encouraging his social skills and communication skills by supporting him with sharing the toys and taking turns. I will also tell him the childrens names so he will feel part of a group and help with his self esteem. All while letting the child know I will be there to support him and help with his daily needs if he needs it.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Women in the Israeli Army Essays -- Military Science, Egalitarianism

Women have always played a very integral role in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), since its inception in 1948 shortly after the declaration of the State of Israel. The IDF is regarded as one of the most well trained armed forces in the world thanks in part to the progressive changes in the military with regards to equality for women. Historically, at the ground roots of the IDF, women were held back from combat and served mostly in a variety of support duties under the command of Chen (Women’s Army Corps). These support duties were extremely important to the functioning of the IDF, but did not satisfy those women who wanted a more active front line role. The aftermath of the Yom Kippur war in 1973 initiated a great change in military thinking for women in the IDF. The increased need for ground forces allowed women to enter selected operational divisions in the military, but still excluded them from participation in any combat roles. In spite of the new recognition that wo men played in the military after 1973, further equality was slow to come. Finally, in January of 2000 after a Supreme Court battle led by Allice Miller a few years earlier, the Equality amendment to the Military Service Law was implemented. Thus, allowing women the opportunity to volunteer in combat support and light combat roles. The Prime Minister of the State of Israel had a vision to equalize the role of women and men from active combat roles in the IDF. On May 31st, 1948 following the establishment of the State of Israel, the cabinet of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion officially created the IDF, and declared it as the country’s army. It then became official that women between the ages of 18-24, single or married, without children had to join th... ...//www.idf.il/1283-9679-en/Dover.aspx>. "The Israeli Air Force." The Israeli Air Force. 28 Dec. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. . "Israeli Army Celebrates First-Ever Female Major General." Israeli Defence Forces, 23 June 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. . "Israeli Women in the Military." Women's Rights. The Israel Project. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. . Izraeli, Dafna Nundi. "Israel Defense Forces." Jewish Women's Archive. 1 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. . "Women in the IDF." Krav Maga - Israeli Krav International. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Visual vs auditory

This research paper Is based on experiments that were conducted with the sole purpose of determine people's different preferences towards various learning and presentation techniques, which translates to content retention and ability to learn and remember a wide range of content that was taught in class.This experiment was done on two deferent environments; one experiment was done on people in a control environment (classroom) where students did not use visual aid in their study, while the other environment was not done in the classroom but rather In the open and involved the use of visual lad such as; projectors, graphs, chart among other visual equipments. Participants tried their best to write down each word they either saw or heard but some participants did better than others.Both Group A and Group B performed approximately the same. The result of this experiment, which was based on the ability of the respondents to retain or remember different words, was recorded in a frequent t able which will be analyzed in this research paper. Intro Researchers and policy makers alike allude to the fact that virtually all human beings re visual beings and not theoretical beings, and that they learn better as well as remember or recall different facts and information based on how these information was passed to them.For example, research has shown that when visual aids such as charts, graphs, projectors among other visual aids are used In teaching and presentation, the audiences are able to increase their word or content retention to a larger extent compared to when no visual aid are not used in presentation and teaching (Carol and Roger, 1978). This lab report will conduct an in-depth analysis on n experiment that was conducted by 18 participants, under control and non-control environment In relation to use of visual lad In making experiments.The research paper will thereafter make recommendations, conduct a step by step analysis on what participants did in the experimen t, predict the future of visual presentation, highlight the methodology that was used in conducting this study, outline the key limitations of the study and make a conclusion that is based on the findings of this study. Method Participants 18 participants that are enrolled In an Experimental Psychology class performed an core requirement. The participants consisted of 17 female and one male.The participants analyzed the use of visual and illustration learning, and how they influenced word remembrance. The study used simple random sampling in selecting the sample size that was used in the experiments. Setting This experiment took place in a small room that measured mom by mom, there were no windows in this room. The participants had 25-30 seating options; the chairs had a wooden desk and metal chairs. There was a blackboard in front of the room as well as the back of the room. There was also a rectangular table in the front of the room s well as the back of the room.There was also a rectangular table in the front of the classroom. Materials The material's that was needed for this experiment was random assignment sheet, desktop computer, projector and projector screen, ‘phone (auditory presentation & timer), pens or pencils, and sheets of paper w/ 25 spaces which were computer sized. Random assignment is a method in organizing experiments in which participants have equal odds of being given to a precise state of the experiment. The desktop computer was used to look up the words and sounds for the experiment.The erector and the projector screen was used to make the presentation more vivid so all the participants could see and hear the presentation. The phone was used as an auditory presentation and timer. Participants used pens or pencils to record the data. The sheet of paper with the 25 spaces was used by the participants to record data that was obtained from this experiment. Experimental Design The experiment design was between subject design. Participan ts were assigned by random assignment they were then placed in Group A or Group B.Group A was given the visual presentation whereas participants in Group B were given the auditory reservation. Participants were being observed by effects each presentation had on them. Procedure The experimenter randomly assigned participants got assigned either to Group A or to Group B by the number they received by the experimenter. Group B left room while Group A remained. The experimenter then provided the participants instructions and a sheet. Participants wrote down words they remembered then participants swapped sheets with a classmate. The experimenter reviewed correct words.After that participants wrote down the total number of words correct they received. Participants reported total number to experimenter. Then the Participants in Group A the ones that were presented with a visual presentation stepped outside and Group B the auditory participants entered the classroom. Group B followed the s ame steps as Group A, Group was presented the auditory presentation through the ‘phone. Results Figure 1 indicates the difference between both groups, Group A performed slightly one indicated that the participants in Group A performed better than those in Group B.Group A the ones that received the visual presentation which allowed the participants to answer more correct words whereas Group B had the auditory reservation which was hard to hear so it caused a change in results. The mean for Group A was 12. 4444 whereas the mean for Group B was 10. 6667. The t-test indicates that there is no significances. Discussion Predicting the future of visual aid or visual presentation in the teaching curriculum and presentation is a complex issue this is because of the drastic changes that have been seen in virtually all sectors and how they embrace this concept.For instance, in the academic and teaching profession, the use of visual aid or visual software's such as power point presentatio ns has been embraced through the use of Powering presentation both by the learners and course facilitators, power point presentation tends to be more visual rather than theoretical and hence would help in enhancing the ability of learners to improve their word retention ability, conversely, the use of Youth tutorials is another avenue that will be used more frequently by learners in the future to find real time information in real time.These tutorials provide a visual as well as audio step by step flow on different research topics to user which improves their word retention ability Carol and Roger, 1978). In addition, the future of visual presentation in conferencing and interviews looks very bright.This is made possible because of the use of voice over internet platforms such as Keep, where people can interact over a wide geographical location, resulting to exchange of information and ideas among people. Teleconferencing will further simplify as well as eliminate all the obstacles that existed in the traditional environment, because people are able to interact at low costs, based at their convenience, and moving from one location to another.Since the world has been reduced from the traditional market place, to one the modern market space, businessmen, and professionals such as teachers can be able to share information with each other, as well as benchmark with each other (Carol and Roger, 1978) Also Carol and Roger (1978) contend to the fact that the variability as well as reliability of research is one way or another enhanced by acknowledging the limitations of the study. Basically, this research paper is subject to a number of limitations in the environment, and demographic characteristics of different people.One, this research did not take into consideration the different geographic characteristics of people such as age which would affect people's content retention and remembrance ability. For instance, old people have a low remembrance ability compared to young people this is because old age affects some of the human cells that increase word retention and remembrance. Second, considering the fact that remembrance and content retention can be done through experiments, however, sensitive issues such as physiological or emotional issues that may affect the ability o recall words and remember them all together are difficult to establish.Third, time for carrying out the proposed research is limited, as the researcher will work within strict timeliness. Fourth, there is possibility of change of organizations or the individuals under consideration; this is because the research does not take into consideration the long-term effects of variables of study (Carol and Roger, 1978)). The study gave some suggestions for further research and experiments on the chosen researcher thus thought that research be done in other institutions and people of efferent age groups over a longer period of time in order to establish a better view of current resea rch.It was also suggested that a research should be conducted on different learning institutions to establish whether the use of visual aid and teaching software's such as Powering presentations have improved the word retention of people in these schools since these software's were introduced in their learning institutions (Carol and Roger, 1978). Based on the findings obtained in this research paper, it is evident that use of visual aid such as projectors, charts among other usual materials, enhance and improve the ability of people to retain, remember and recall different aspects of learning like remembrance of words during presentation.Although, some small disparities are reported on people whose memory does not depend solely on the use of visual aid because of demographical and physiological differences in different people based on age, emotions, health status of people among other things. Therefore, the use of visual aid in the teaching curriculum should be encouraged because o f the benefits it provides to students in improving heir ability to retain and remember different things that they are taught in class (Carol and Roger, 1978).Carol and Roger (1978) alludes to the fact that the use of visual presentation and aid has a lot of benefits, however, there is evidence to show that the use of visual aid is superior to some people compared to another group of people. For example, the use of visual aid in fifth grade, kindergarten, colleges and second grade level helped the students to improve their word retention ability, on the other side; the use of visual aid among older people produced mixed results. However, these disparities tend to disappear in the long run.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Fight Against Cyber Crime

Running head: THE FIGHT AGAINST CYBER CRIME The Fight Against Cyber Crime: What Can We Do? Abstract Cyber crime is on the rise and every organization must recognize the danger and take necessary steps to help mitigate the threat. While many institutions worry more about hackers than cyber criminals, it is cyber crime that can cause the most damage. A hacker is more easily detected while a cyber criminal may already be in your network undetected. While a hacker may try to breach a network for the thrill or to annoy, a cyber criminal will breach a network for monetary gain.This paper is intended to point out some of the risks of cyber crime and what a financial institute can do to help mitigate the threat of attack. Keywords: cyber crime, cyber attack, Information Technology Information Sharing and Analysis Center, IT-ISAC, Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, FS-ISAC The Fight Against Cyber Crime: What Can We Do? While many institutions worry more about hackers than cyber criminals, it is cyber criminals that should make us more wary.A hacker is more easily detected while a cyber criminal may already be in your network undetected. While a hacker may try to breach a network for the thrill value or to annoy their victim, a cyber criminal will breach a network for monetary gain. This may include â€Å"data acquisition and storage, stealthy access to systems, identity collection and theft, misdirection of communications, keystroke identification, identity authentication, and botnets, among others† (Deloitte, 2010).According to a survey conducted in August 2011 by Ponemon Institute, for the 50 participating companies (see chart 1), the average time it takes an organization to resolve a cyber attack is 18 days with an average cost of $23,000 a day. An insider attack can average 45 days to contain. This does not include the value of any data lost, modified, or stolen in the process. This survey also showed the average annualized cost of cy ber crime to financial institutions was $14,700,000 for 2011, up from $12,370,000 the previous year (see Chart 2).Chart 3 summarizes the types of attack methods experienced by the companies that participated in the survey (Ponemon, 2011). According to security firm Imperva, â€Å"The average large business sees 27 attacks per minute hitting its Website. Attackers can use automation technologies to generate up to seven attacks per second, or 25,000 attacks per hour† (Rashid, 2011). To build a sufficient IT security posture, it is important to assume that an unauthorized user can gain access to the network, and then structure the network to best protect the most valuable data.The valuable data can then â€Å"be tagged and monitored so that the organization knows where it is, where it is going, where it has gone, and on whose authority† (Deloitte, 2010). The organization also needs to understand that they need to not only monitor what is coming into their network but also what is leaving their network. This will help â€Å"detect activities enabled by techniques and technologies that mimic, exploit, or piggyback on the access of authorized users† (Deloitte, 2010).Using standard firewalls and anti-virus programs alone will not accomplish this. The organization must take a more proactive approach to protect its financial data. Now that we know what we need to do, how do we accomplish this? Some very basic steps include employee screening, employee training to help mitigate against social engineering, disabling account access of terminated employees, ensuring software updates and patches are properly implemented, and ensuring firewalls are properly configured.More advanced steps include, but are not limited to, setting up a demilitarized zone to help block the network from outside access, installing a honeynet system to look like an authentic part of the network to entice and trap intrusion attempts for further analysis, installing hard drive en cryption and remote data wipe capability on all laptops and other mobile devices, and requiring smart card and pin number authentication (or some other form of multifactor authentication) to access sensitive data.The Ponemon survey revealed companies utilizing security information and event management (SIEM) solutions such as these average 24 percent less expense in dealing with cyber crime attacks (see chart 5). This reduction in cost is because companies that use SIEM solutions are better able to detect and contain, and therefore recover, from such attacks (see chart 6). Another important step for a financial institute to take is to become a member of the FS-ISAC (Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center).The FS-ISAC was founded in 1999 and led the way for the IT-ISAC (Information Technology Information Sharing and Analysis Center) which was founded in 2001. The purpose of these groups is for organizations to have the opportunity to share the security attacks and vulnerabilities they have experienced with other organizations in their field of industry. Given the sophistication, complexity, and evolution of cyber crime technologies and techniques, no sizable organization can plan and implement the necessary response alone. CIOs, CSOs, CROs, and cyber security rofessionals should share information, techniques, and technologies in their battle against cyber crime. (Deloitte, 2010) The importance of FS-ISAC was proven in 2000 when member companies where saved from a major denial-of-service attack that many other companies experienced (Hurley, 2001). As shown in chart 4, a denial-of-service attack can be costly. A more recent example of FS-ISAC at work is the August 23, 2011 report of the Help Net Security (International) Ramnit worm which uses Zeus Trojan tactics for banking fraud.As the FS-ISAC points out, â€Å"When attacks occur, early warning and expert advice can mean the difference between business continuity and widespread business cata strophe† (FS-ISAC, 2011). Knowing and having the chance to combat against these attacks can save an institute millions. In conclusion, financial institutions must stay vigilant to current and new cyber threats. Table 1 through 3 gives a breakdown of cyber threats and controls that can help reduce the impact if these threats become reality. It is important for an organization to enroll in its respective ISAC and to share in the lessons learned from previous attacks.While it would be almost impossible to learn about and prevent every type of attack, staying vigilant will help reduce the likelihood and the impact. References Deloitte Development LLC. (2010). Cyber Crime: A Clear and Present Danger. Retrieved December 23, 2011, from the World Wide Web: http://eclearning. excelsior. edu/webct/RelativeResourceManager/Template/pdf/M7_Deloitte_CyberCrime. pdf FS-ISAC. (2011). Current Banking and Finance Report, Retrieved 24 December, 2011, from the World Wide Web: http://www. fsisac. com/ Hurley, E. (2001, January 29).IT-ISAC: A Matter of Trust. Retrieved 24 December, 2011, from the World Wide Web: http://searchsecurity. techtarget. com/news/517824/IT-ISAC-A matter-of-trust Ponemon Institute LLC. (2011, August). Second Annual Cost of Cyber Crime Study. Retrieved December 24, 2011, from the World Wide Web: http://www. arcsight. com/collateral/whitepapers/2011_Cost_of_Cyber_Crime_Study_August. pdf Rashid, F. (2011, July 25). Cyber-Criminals Use Botnets, Automation to Launch Multiple Blended Attacks. Retrieved December 24, 2011, from the World Wide Web: http://www. week. com/c/a/Security/CyberCriminals-Use-Botnets-Automation-to-Launch-Multiple-Blended-Attacks-656032/ Chart 1. Sample of Participating Companies by Industry (Ponemon, 2011) Average annualized cost by industry sector ($1M) *Industry was not represented in the FY2010 benchmark sample. Chart 2. Average annualized cost by industry sector (Ponemon, 2011) Types of Attack Methods Experienced Chart 3. Types of Attack Methods Experienced (Ponemon, 2011)Average annualized cyber crime cost weighted by attack frequency *The FY 2010 benchmark sample did not contain a DoS attack. Chart 4. Average annualized cyber crime cost (Ponemon, 2011) Comparison of SIEM and non-SIEM sub-sample of average cost of cyber crime Chart 5. Comparison cost of SIEM and non-SIEM companies (Ponemon, 2011) Chart 6 Percentage cost for recovery, detection & containment (Ponemon, 2011) categoryFinancial Impact Regulatory ComplianceIndustry Reputation 4CriticalIncrease in costs greater than $1MFines in excess of $1MSignificant, sustained negative media exposure.Significant loss of business due to blemish on public image. 3MajorIncrease in costs $100K to $1MFines between $100K and $1MNegative media exposure. Loss of business due to blemish on public image. 2ModerateIncrease in costs less than $100KFines under $100KSome negative media exposure. Slight loss of business due to blemish on public image. 1MinorNo significant co st increase expectedNo fines expectedNo media exposure or loss of business expected. Table 1. Impact 4Imminent 3Highly Likely 2Possible 1Unlikely Table 2. Probability PxI (before controls / after controls)Financial Impact Regulatory Compliance Industry Reputation Controls Denial of service1x3=3 / 1Ãâ€"2=21Ãâ€"3=3 / 1Ãâ€"1=11Ãâ€"4=4 / 1Ãâ€"2=2Implement router filters, install patches to guard against SYC flooding, disable unused services Web-based attack2x3=6 / 2Ãâ€"2=42Ãâ€"3=6 / 2Ãâ€"2=42Ãâ€"4=8 / 2Ãâ€"2=4Restrict website access to only what customer needs, disable account log-in after 3 failed log-in attempts, require multifactor authentication to access sensitive data Malicious code2x4=8 / 2Ãâ€"2=42Ãâ€"4=8 / 2Ãâ€"2=42Ãâ€"4=8 / 2Ãâ€"2=4Software updates and patches, anti-virus and anti-spam software pdates, firewall configuration, employee training Malicious insider1x4=4 / 1Ãâ€"2=21Ãâ€"4=4 / 1Ãâ€"2=21Ãâ€"4=4 / 1Ãâ€"2=2Employee screening, disable account access fo r terminated employees, require multifactor authentication for access to data servers, least privilege, separation of duty Phishing & social engineering 2Ãâ€"3=6 / 1Ãâ€"3=32Ãâ€"3=6 / 1Ãâ€"3=32Ãâ€"3=6 / 1Ãâ€"3=3Employee training, least privilege, separation of duty Stolen devices2x4=8 / 2Ãâ€"1=22Ãâ€"4=8 / 2Ãâ€"1=22Ãâ€"4=8 / 2Ãâ€"1=2Hard drive encryption, remote data wipe capability Botnets 3Ãâ€"3=9 / 3Ãâ€"1=33Ãâ€"3=9 / 3Ãâ€"1=33Ãâ€"3=9 / 3Ãâ€"1=3Software updates and patches, anti-virus and anti-spam software updates, firewall configuration, employee training Malware3x3=9 / 3Ãâ€"1=33Ãâ€"3=9 / 3Ãâ€"1=33Ãâ€"3=9 / 3Ãâ€"1=3Software updates and patches, anti-virus and anti-spam software updates, firewall configuration, employee training Viruses, worms, trojans4x3=12 / 4Ãâ€"1=44Ãâ€"3=12 / 4Ãâ€"1=44Ãâ€"3=12 / 4Ãâ€"1=4Software updates and patches, anti-virus and anti-spam software updates, firewall configuration, employee training Table 3. Risk Analysis

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

A New Kind of Didactic Novel

A New Kind of Didactic Novel A New Kind of Didactic Novel A New Kind of Didactic Novel By Maeve Maddox Didactic fiction is nothing new. Aesops tales are didactic, as are Langlands The Vision of Piers Plowman, Bunyans The Pilgrims Progress, Hesses Siddhartha, and Orwells Animal Farm. The authors of all these works desired to teach readers a lesson about the moral significance of human behavior. The word didactic is from a Greek verb meaning both to teach and to learn. There was a time that authors could admit to wanting to create a didactic novel and critics were willing to praise such novels for their moral effectiveness. The success of Harriet Beecher Stowes didactic novel Uncle Toms Cabin (1852) illustrates the effectiveness of using fiction to promote an authors social ideals. Beginning in the 1700s, American abolitionists churned out thousands of tracts in their fight to abolish slavery in the United States. None of them produced the effect of the extended abolitionist tract that Mrs. Stowe framed as fiction. tract noun: a pamphlet, leaflet, or folder issued (as by a political or religious group) for propaganda. In the nineteenth century, Uncle Toms Cabin was the best-selling novel in the world. According to what may be an apocryphal anecdote, when Mrs. Stowe met Abraham Lincoln in 1862, he remarked, so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war. Modern readers expect a textbook or how-to book to be didactic, but modern critics usually perceive didacticism in a work of creative fiction as a flaw: George Orwell was better at essays than at novels. His most famous novels,  1984  and  Animal Farm,  are clunkily didactic, especially  Animal Farm.   George refers to Dickens on the first page of her earnest but perhaps overly didactic novel, What Happened Before He Shot Her. OConnor has been criticized for being overly  didactic. Odetss inability to escape this 1930s pigeonhole is reflected in the intensely ideological, even didactic, nature of his plays.   Unlike many other Soviet filmmakers, whose works are boldly and aggressively didactic, Alexander Dovzhenkos cinematic output is personal and fervently private.   Now, however, a fictional genre called the startup novel has emerged, written by experienced and wanna-be entrepreneurs. These novels encapsulate blueprints for successful entrepreneurship in plots that employ action and intrigue. Apparently, entrepreneurs are reading them to learn the techniques of starting a business. Entrepreneur Orr Ben-Zvy says that after reading almost every [nonfiction] book on Amazons 50 best sellers for business and the next 50 for entrepreneurship, he discovered something counterintuitive: fiction [is] much more useful than nonfiction. His search for a fictionalized account of how to achieve financial success with a startup company led him to Eliot Pepers novel Uncommon Stock (2014), a book credited with being the first of its kind. According to a blurb on Amazon, the Uncommon trilogy has attracted a cult following in Silicon Valley and is the #1 top-rated financial thriller on Amazon. The genre that romanticizes and describes the process of starting a business has blossomed since 2014. An Amazon search for financial thrillers brings up pages and pages of titles. I havent read one yet, but I intend to. Im curious to see what kind of moral message this new didactic genre has for its readers. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowCareful with Words Used as Noun and Verb

Monday, October 21, 2019

Christianity

In regards to the issues of Christianity, Human Nature, and Morality philosophers Fredrich Nietzsche and Thomas Hobbes express radical views that are completely in opposition to one another. Hobbes philosophy is dominated by loyalty to the crown, riddled with references to the Christian scriptures, and centered on a belief that life is nasty, brutish, and short. (Leviathan) Nietzsches philosophy is dominated by the pessimistic views of Arthur Schopenhauer and his belief that the human race is nothing more than a herd. Nietzsche believes that God is inert and thus the enemy of life. (Anti-Nature) Both Hobbes and Nietzsche look at the world in a completely different light. Hobbes was a Christian who defended the bible, while Nietzsche refers to Christianity as being a great curse, one of stupidity in fact. There is nothing we envy less than the moralistic cow and the fat happiness of the good conscience...peace of soul, the Christian desideratum. (Anti-Nature) On the topic of human nature Hobbes thought life to be the war of every man, against every man. (Leviathan) Nietzsche, on the other hand, took a nihilistic approach and declared that human nature is simply a euphemism for inertia, cultural conditioning, and what we are before we make something of ourselves. Hobbes views on morality were strictly biblical, straight out of Exodus. Nietzsche, however, held morality as an impediment to the development of a new and better civilization; after all how could a religion that believes in turning the other cheek proclaim any intelligence? If thy eye offend thee, pluck it out. (Anti-Nature) Nietzsche believed that modern Christian civilization is demented. It is a sickness that must be overcome. Hobbes, however, declared that God, when he speaks to any subject, he ought to be obeyed. (Leviathan) Throughout his life, Nietzsche held the belief...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Coordinating Conjunction Definition and Examples

Coordinating Conjunction Definition and Examples A coordinating conjunction is a  conjunction (such as and) that joins two similarly constructed and/or syntactically equal words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence, whether they are adjectives, adverbs, nouns, or verbs. Its also called a coordinator. The coordinating conjunctions in English are and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet. (See the coordinating conjunction and as it functions in that list of conjunctions?) Compare their use with ​subordinating conjunctions, which join items that are not of equal weight. When joining two independent clauses to create a compound sentence, place a comma before the conjunction. When they join two verbs, for example in the case of a compound predicate, you dont use a comma before the conjunction.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ Independent Clauses vs. Compound Predicates Independent clauses look  like these examples below. They each have a subject and a verb, making them complete thoughts that stand on their own: She wondered when he would get home. She decided not to call. If we were to write them as one sentence, wed either need to join them with a semicolon or a comma and a coordinating conjunction like this:   She wondered when he would get home, but she decided not to call. Note that each clause keeps its own subject and verb. If theyd be joined without the comma and conjunction, theyd be a fused sentence or a comma splice.   This version of the  sentence contains a compound predicate, two verbs that share the same subject:   She wondered when he would get home but decided not to call. Theres no comma before but because there is only one subject for both verbs. She both wondered and decided. There are no longer two independent clauses. Decided not to call cant stand on its own as a sentence. Conjunctions Starting a Sentence In some cases, a coordinating conjunction may be used as a transition at the beginning of a new sentence. It can break up a static rhythm between similarly structured sentences or lead off a very short  sentence to add emphasis to that sentence in the paragraph. Theres some debate whether writers should be able to use the conjunctions in this way or whether thats a rule that shouldnt exist. Author David Crystal explains: And at the beginning of a sentence? During the 19th century, some schoolteachers took against the practice of beginning a sentence with a word like but or and, presumably because they noticed the way young children often overused them in their writing. But instead of gently weaning the children away from overuse, they banned the usage altogether! Generations of children were taught they should never begin a sentence with a conjunction. Some still are.There was never any authority behind this condemnation. It isnt one of the rules laid down by the first prescriptive grammarians. Indeed, one of those grammarians, Bishop Lowth, uses dozens of examples of sentences beginning with and. And in the 20th century, Henry Fowler, in his famous Dictionary of Modern English Usage, went so far as to call it a superstition. He was right. There are sentences starting with And that date back to Anglo-Saxon times. (The Story of English in 100 Words. St. Martins Press, 2012) Following through with the example in the previous section, it could read like this: She wondered when he would get home. But she decided not to call. Splitting up the two sentences changes their rhythm and pacing slightly, as compared with having them joined into one sentence with the conjunction between them. Starting a sentence with a conjunction isnt a convention you want to use sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph, but it can serve as a tool to create drama in a passage through altering its pacing and rhythm.