Slaughterhouse Five essays

Slaughterhouse Five essays Slaughterhouse Five Throughout history, society, in general, has been molded by the ravages of war. From King Henry VII's invasion of Brittany, to the bloodshed on the shores of Iwo Jima, all the way to the present-day territory dispute in Bosnia and Herzegovina, war abounds mankind and its short history. As nations, ethnicities, ect. constantly attempt to outdo one another war will continue to arise. In recent years much has been said about the poor effects war has on society in a general sense; but what does war do to an individual? This is a question often avoided as a result of the bitter truth: War can all but destroy the sane mind of the common man. This is a fact that was abundantly presented in Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse Five. The story is initially set during World War II, but moves from place to place, and from time period to time period throughout the novel. The story centers around the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden and the mythic journey of an Ame rican soldier/ prisoner-of-war named Billy Pilgrim. Pilgrim suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome and imagines his abduction by aliens, and a great journey through space and time, to a fictional planet named Tralfamadore. A great deal of strange thoughts occurred inside Bill Pilgrim's mind, but Billy had no control over these thoughts. War has an uncanny ability to inflict mental stress on man. The story of Billy Pilgrim is a near-perfect example of the horrendous way in which war can affect the mind of the common man. As a prisoner of war, Billy Pilgrim is subjected to daily torture ranging from beatings and malnourishment. Pilgrim also witnessed the beatings of many other soldiers, some of whom he was familiar with. Billy Pilgrim's mind was not only a victim of torture, but also the Dresden fire-bombings one of the most deadly acts of war ever. Despite the fact that Billy was confined to a subterranean prisoner-of-war camp during the bombings, he...

Lets Hear A Little Respect for the Pluperfect

Lets Hear A Little Respect for the Pluperfect Lets Hear A Little Respect for the Pluperfect Lets Hear A Little Respect for the Pluperfect By Maeve Maddox Television writers have little respect for standard English grammar. I know that. I also know that American writers in general have little use for the pluperfect (past perfect) tense, preferring instead to use the simple past with adverbial modifiers. Nevertheless, I was astonished by an exchange between a judge and a lawyer on an episode of the The Good Wife: The lawyer is trying to impugn a witness who has testified that a young man arrested at the scene of a murder did not have time to construct a story to conceal his involvement. The lawyer points out that, according to the police report, the man did have time. The lawyer says that by the time the suspect had reached the police station, †¦he had had time to construct a story. When the lawyer requests that his client be released on bail, the judge fixes him with a disapproving frown and says, Request denied. If for no other reason than that you used the pluperfect tense. Apparently TV writers are at war with more than pronouns. The pluperfect, also called the past perfect, is a verb tense used to indicate that an action took place before some other past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb had and a past participle: When I arrived, the dog had gone. The word pluperfect derives from the Latin phrase tempus praeteritum plus quam perfectum, meaning past tense more than perfect. The word perfect comes from Latin perfectus, meaning completed. An action in the pluperfect is over, done, finished. Heres an example of a novelists use of the pluperfect when writing a third person narrative in the past tense. Its from Death in Holy Orders by English writer P. D. James. The ash, with its heavy cladding of ivy, was unmissable, but as they turned into the road, which was little more than a lane, one glance showed clearly what had happened. A large bough of the tree had been torn from the trunk and now lay along the grass verge, looking in the growing light as bleached and smooth as a bone. From it sprouted dead branches like gnarled fingers. The main trunk showed the great wound where the branch had been torn away, and the road, now passable, was still strewn with the debris of the fall: curls of ivy, twigs and a scatter of green and yellow leaves. The earliest example of the term pluperfect in the OED is dated 1500. The latest illustration of the term, dated 1995, reflects the modern disdain for this tense: 1995 Church Times 17 Nov. 17/3 They each gave us a few paragraphs of Mills Boon prose which were rather hard going, being over-full of pluperfect verbs. NOTE: Mills Boon is a British romance publisher founded in 1908 and sold to Harlequin Enterprises in 1971. American writers, perhaps aiming for a breezy style, avoid the pluperfect as much as possible, but they do use it. The following extracts from Tunnel Vision show how Sara Paretsky deals with it. Sometimes she disguises it with contractions: Id had my office there for ten years, so long Id come to overlook its litany of ills. Sometimes she introduces the pluperfect with a had, then switches to simple past: The building had already been one-third empty when the Culpeppers handed out their notice at New Years. They tried first to bribe, then to force, the rest of us into leaving. And sometimes she stays with the pluperfect throughout a paragraph: In a seconds unthinking revulsion I had thrust the bat back behind the radiator. I wanted to protect Emily and I didnt want anyone to know the weapon was there. But I would have to tell the police. Staring sightlessly into the mist, I saw it had been foolish to think otherwise. And my first impulse, to make an anonymous call, was also foolish: my prints were on the bat. At least I hadnt been so stupid as to wipe them clean. Any writing device can become an obstacle to reading comfort, for example: sentences all the same length, numerous characters whose names all begin with the same sound, an unusual word used numerous times. And yes, over-use of the pluperfect. However, just because the use of the pluperfect in narrative writing has its pitfalls, dont fall for advice that tells you to avoid the clumsy pluperfect altogether. The pluperfect is a useful narrative tense. Its up to the writer to keep it from becoming clumsy. The next time you read over your work and feel yourself becoming bogged down in hads, you might question the way you are presenting your story. The fault may lie with an over-reliance on flashbacks. You may need to figure out some other way to lay in your back story. 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:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)15 Great Word GamesDozen: Singular or Plural?

Shakespeare, Richard II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shakespeare, Richard II - Essay Example He also was able to take over his troops and part of his staff. Richard II said that if Bolingbrook served God that Richard II would serve Bolingbrook but if Bolingbrook did anything wrong to the people that Richard II couldnt make peace with the taking of the crown. "Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay: The worst is death, and death will have his day" (Richard, III, ii)Â  Loosing his subjects was doing wrong by them. Richard II was giving an ultimatum to Bolingbrook that he could never take over. In the following soliloquy, he speaks of all his had lost. He used the metaphor of what he had lost is as though he and the few people who with him were in their grave. "Lets talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs" (Richard, III, ii)Â  All they have left which belongs to them is death. This is an oxymoron. We all face death whether we are rich or poor. Shakespeare is showing the stupidity of the rich and of royalty. As with other kings, each has his own personal story of death. Each king is human. "For Gods sake let us sit upon the ground / And tell sad stories of the death of kings!" (Richard, III, ii)Â  He shows that he is discouraged and intimidated by the events that have happened. He is also showing another side where he is comparing the godlike quality of kings. He is saying that even though they are kings they still have a specific story related to death thus making them human. Thus, it can be assumed that they are human as all classes of society. Shakespeare is making another comment about the different social classes "My father hath a power; inquire of him and learn to make a body of limb" (Duke of Aumerle, III,ii) This is a metaphor used to indicated family lineage and then that the body can be bent. His fathers power can form him into anything. "To insinuate, flatter, bow, and bend my limbs."(Richard,IV,i) The tree has limbs which are bent. A body has limbs which can be bent.

Construction Economics Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Construction Economics Assignment - Essay Example Many people took out very large mortgages. In 1983, the average new mortgage was approximately 2.1 times annual average earnings. By 1989 this had risen to 3.4 times annual average earnings. House prices were rising uncontrollably and bringing considerable inflationary pressures to bear within the economy. As a result, the government increased rates and reduced government assistance to home ownership. The impact of these measures plus a worsening economic environment drove house prices down and the housing market into a state of recession (Williams and Holmans, 1996). In mid 1989 house prices started a downward trend for the next six years, falling by 12 per cent, before reaching a trough in July 1995.In the years 1990 - 1995 house prices fell by around 12.2%. Many people found themselves in a position of having negative equity on their property because the value of the mortgage now exceeded the property value. This meant many people were unable to move house without taking a loss. Then, in 1996, house prices began to rise again. The UK housing market started to recover with a 7 per cent increase in prices. The low interest rates enjoyed by UK homeowners have reduced mortgage payments as a proportion of gross earnings for the average purchaser from 22 per cent to just 15 per cent. Consequently, mortgage payments account for a smaller share of income than at almost anytime since 1983 and are well below the 36 per cent peak in 1990. Since May 1997, house prices have been on a steady rise. Many factors have contributed to this increase including growing population, rising employment, increasing number of households, limited supply of new housing properties and the emergence of alternatives like buy-to-let. Another important reason is the increase in popularity of real estate as an investment avenue. Fall in the level of confidence in traditional investments and increase in speculative avenues has contributed immensely to this. The fall in long-term real interest rates - the gap between inflation and interest rates on government bonds - has helped support property investments. The most complimenting factor, however, has been the short-term interest rate set by the Bank. The sharp fall in prices at the end of 1980s and early 1990s pushed the interest rates to very low levels in relation to rents and other assets and incomes. This, combined with the realization that lower interest rates were meant to stay, created a strong and steady rise. By 2001, though house prices were still below their long-term trend, the boom had begun to fade. Further to this, there followed a series of global events that ruptured the boom even further. In response to the bursting of the dotcom bubble, September 11 and the start of the Iraq war, the Bank cut rates, taking them all the way down to 3.5% during 2003. Then, however, the Bank switched into tightening mode, raising Bank rate five times between November 2003 and August 2004. The results of this on the housing market were significant, producing the famous 2004-5 pause in prices. Determination of equilibrium price and quantity The determination of price depends on the type of market organization the product belongs to. In a competitive market, the point of intersection of market demand and supply curves determines the

Assessment learning Essay Example for Free

Assessment learning Essay 1. What are the functions, concepts and principles of assessment in learning and development? (1. 1, 1. 2) The function of assessment is a way to measure a learner’s competence against agreed standards and criteria. The awarding body of the particular qualification will have an assessment strategy what will state which criteria needs to be met to complete the mandatory and optional units and the best method for acquiring the evidence. A range of methods will be used to judge whether a candidate has demonstrated the skills, knowledge and understanding to be competent against the criteria. The assessor will need to ask themselves if the assessment process when put into practice will be: Fair – the given activities during assessment are relevant to the candidates needs and reasonable adjustments are made so not to disadvantage any person. Reliable – If the assessment was carried out by a different assessor, in a different place, the results would be consistent. Valid – the assessment is suitable to the qualification being assessed. Safe and manageable – the assessor must not put unnecessary demands on the candidate or their work colleagues in the place of occupation. Suitable for the candidates needs – before planning an assessment the assessor would need to take into account the candidates needs, their subject requirements and take into consideration any prior learning, additionally, plan suitable methods to be used. The assessment cycle to ensure the learner has met the performance and knowledge criteria required to achieve the qualification achieved all aspects of the qualification successfully. The cycle will begin with the initial assessment which will establish any prior learning or experience of the subject to be taken and will identify individual learner’s needs. Furthermore, diagnostic tests can recognize if a learner has for instance, dyslexia. The second part of the cycle will be the assessment planning, where the assessor and learner agree on the methods to be used for evidence, set target dates and who will be involved, such as, work colleagues. Thirdly, the assessment activity will establish which methods to judge whether a candidate has demonstrated the skills, knowledge and understanding to achieve the required standard. The penultimate part of the cycle will be where the assessor makes a decision as to whether the standard has been met and provide feedback to the learner. Lastly, progress will be reviewed and any changes to the assessment activities can be made. The assessor will use a range of Benchmarking will be used to ensure the learner’s performance is on target against the accepted standard of the subject area. This data will contribute to the quality assurance and development of best practice. 2. What is the role and responsibilities of the assessor? (1. 3) The role of the assessor is required to be competent and knowledgeable with the standards of the awarding body so they can explain the criteria to the candidate, thus the learner knows what they are working towards. Subsequent to the assessment planning an initial assessment needs to have been carried out to identify any individual needs, prior learning, skills and knowledge the learner may have. When planning the assessment the assessor should have the relevant information of where the learner works and what they do, this will ensure the correct units will be covered and correct methods are chosen. The assessor will use the assessment plan as a tool for assessing the learner’s competence and knowledge against the agreed criterion ensuring that it is fair, valid and reliable. The assessor must clearly record all assessment decisions and show which criteria was met. Each conducted assessment will record achievements accurately and any evidence provided by the learner must be checked by the assessor to ensure it is authentic. To ensure confidentiality the information will be available to share with those with a legitimate interest. After the assessment the assessor will provide constructive feedback to the learner concerning their achievements as soon as possible and identify any gaps in the learner’s knowledge and skills. At this stage the candidate will either plan to be reassessed or progress onto  the next assessment. The assessor will be responsible to the organisation, occupational standards and awarding organisation when planning, managing and delivering assessment and must maintain good practice and follow legislation throughout to maintain the integrity of the qualification. 3. Explain the regulations and requirements relevant to assessment in own area of practice(1. 4, 3. 4, 3. 5, 8. 1) The assessor will be required to follow a range of policies and practises set by the regulatory bodies of standards, for example, Ofqual, Sector skills council, Institute of learning. Other regulations such as, health and safety, equality and diversity, data protection, risk assessment, etc will be discussed below. It is the responsibility of the assessor to ensure that the above are carried out during the assessment process. For example, the assessor must abide by the health and safety rules of the candidates work place and report any unsafe practice or dangerous equipment. The need of wearing protective clothing and safety shoes may be required. The assessor or internal verifier must only intervene with an assessment is if the health and safety is placing someone in danger. Under the management of health and safety at work regulation 1999, the assessor must assess the risks to prevent any hazardous practices and locate information on who holds the first aid certificate and what the fire and emergency course of action is. The assessor is responsible to carry out a risk assessment to safeguard the learner during assessment and establish any risks which may occur during the assessment activities in the work place. While there is always a possibility of risk in any every day occurrence, the assessor has a duty of care to notify of the risk and advice of the possible outcome regarding safety. It is the assessor’s responsibility to ensure all documentary evidence is kept safe during external assessments and data kept secure. Any assessor who works with vulnerable adults or children will be required to have a criminal records bureau check before being allowed to work in that occupational area. The check will identify any unsuitable person and must be used to protect and safe guard adults and children at risk. The disability discrimination act legislated that no disabled person should be discriminated against because of a disability, whether it is a physical or mental impairment. In 2002 and 2005 the act was extended to include educational organisations. This meant that suitable provisions must be made for disabled persons to overcome any physical barriers and not be treated less favourably because of their disability. The initial assessment should clarify if the learner has any particular learning needs or disabilities to ensure equality and diversity needs are met. The assessor has a duty to ensure no learner is discriminated against; everyone has an equal opportunity for learning and development. Assessment activities should reflect the diversity of the learner, for example, culture, language and ethnicity and not be biased to the person who produced them. Every person is entitled to learn in a safe environment, whether it be the assessor or learner. It is illegal to inflict corporal punishment on anyone and if restraint is required then it must follow the organisations strict guidelines on discipline. The copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988) is one that the assessor should discuss with the learner at the start of the assessment process as it relates to the authenticity of their own work and products. It is unlawful to use someone else’s work as their own without referencing to the rightful owner, as this is plagiarism. The assessor must always ensure the learner signs and dates their own work, especially if it has been prepared on the computer for acknowledgement that they are the original owner. The assessor will have confidential information about their learners, such as, name, age, birth date on record and under the Data Protection Act all this information must be kept confidential and secure. If the information is kept on a computer, then it should be protected with a password that protects against other entering the system. If the information is paper based then it must be kept in a filing cabinet which is lockable. The learner can request to see any information held about them under The Freedom of Information Act 2002, so it is important to back up copies, if electronically stored in case of being deleted. The information should not be kept longer than necessary and the holder will need to register as a data user if the period is over 2 months. There may some occupational areas which require the candidate to wear a uniform, for example, a white tunic top if working in a restaurant or protective clothing, such as, reflective jacket, hard hat and safety boots if on a construction site. The assessor will need to dress in accordance with the health and safety regulations when doing an assessment in the work place with the learner. Once the assessor has qualified they must register with the Institute for Learning and keep up with their continuing professional development. It is crucial that the assessor abide by the code of professional practice to ensure they are working to the same standard and not under achieving. If the former should happen then it could have a dramatic effect on the assessment centre quality assurance when the external verifier carries out an inspection visit twice a year. To ensure standards are being met and claim for certification is valid the external verifier will need to see a mixture of the candidate’s files and interview a variety of assessors. If the standards have been met and the external verifier is satisfied that the correct procedures are being followed the centre will receive a grade of 1-2. Unfortunately if the centre receives a grade of 3-5 then there is a possibility that they could have the direct claim status and registration suspended until the matter is resolved. 4. Explain the strengths and limitations of at least 4 different assessment methods, making reference to how each method can meet the needs of individual learners. (2. 1) ASSESSMENT METHOD Observation Strengths. The observation method is an excellent opportunity for the assessor to take a holistic approach during assessment; benefits are the assessment is viewed by the assessor, thus the evidence is authentic, plus, cost and time effective. The holistic assessment can be time consuming so the assessor will need to plan the assessment so they can identify which learning outcomes from all units can be demonstrated at the same time. Knowledge based and performance based assessment can be linked with evidence which is natural occurring. The method meets a learners needs as they can carry on their normal work practice. If any prior learning evidence can be presented, such as a certificate or witness statement and/or a professional discussion at the end of the assessment. Limitations It is necessary the assessor and candidate agree for a suitable time and place for the observation to take place. If the assessment is to be cost effective then the evidence must be collected during a busy time when the most evidence can be collected. If a witness testimony is to be used the assessor must find a suitable person who has witnessed the learner do the task, this must be arranged beforehand. The assessor must ensure that the candidate is confident enough to demonstrate their competence or else it could discourage them and waste time. The assessor must remain open minded throughout the observation and not offer advice or interfere even if they feel the candidate is doing something wrong. Assignments Strengths Assignments are an excellent opportunity for the learner to demonstrate knowledge and use research skills. The assignment can be set out so several aspects of qualification can be assessed. The learner needs are met as they are able to work at their own pace and in their own time. Limitations The learner must be had been taught all aspects of the syllabus beforehand. The assignment could be time consuming to write and may not be suitable to learners who have literacy difficulties, work full time or have families to support. The assessor must assess each assignment individually and provide written feedback. Witness Testimony Strengths The witness can confirm competence or achievements of the learner as they will have observed them in their normal practice of work, someone who works with the candidate to confirm the learner’s competence in a certain area of criteria. The learner may feel more confident displaying skills in front of a colleague rather than being observed by the assessor. Witness statements are useful as they can fill in any gaps. The method would suit the needs of someone who is performing the task frequently. Limitations The assessor must ensure the suitability of the witness and that they are experienced in the occupational area, the assessor needs to confirm this by seeing evidence, such as a copy of their CV or certificates. The witness statement must be authentic and the assessor will need to check this. A witness cannot confirm the learner’s competence as they are not an assessor. Oral questions and answers Strengths The assessor could use questioning as a way to meet gaps in evidence; questions could be adapted to meet the criteria. A question could be used to increase the candidates thinking about a certain task rather than performing it. Furthermore, it gives the assessor an insight as to how much knowledge the candidate has in their occupational area. This method could be used during an observation or used later after the observation; it would meet the needs of a learner who has difficulty with written English. The assessor would need to know the candidate understands what is being asked in the question or else the learner may struggle to answer correctly. Limitations The assessor would need to be careful not to ask closed or leading questions as this could be viewed as being subjective as the assessor could be putting words into the learner’s mouth. The most beneficial questions would be open, probing and hypothetical to get the most from knowledge and understanding of the learner. 5. What key factors do you need to consider when planning assessment? (3. 1) WHAT. The assessor will need to discuss and be in agreement with what criteria is being met and how it is being assessed and others involved. The assessor will need to talk about what the learner’s job role entails and how this is relevant to the unit in question. This will enable the assessor to plan and agree with the learner the types of evidence most suitable for demonstrating competence and the best methods for assessment to be used. The assessor must make sure the evidence is appropriate to meet the specified performance criteria and where possible knowledge to be assessed through performance or professional discussion or questioning. The assessor must ensure the learner is ready to demonstrate their competence and understands the processes involved, for example targets. WHEN The assessor and learner will need to agree when the assessment will take place and arrange a suitable date, time and duration when the most evidence can be collected and if the holistic approach could be used to obtain evidence. It would be beneficial for the assessor if the assessment took place during a busy period of learner work activity. However, the assessor must ensure the learner is not taken away from their duties for an unnecessary length of time or cause disruption to the business operations. WHERE The assessor Assessment would ideally take place in the learner’s work place as this where the most evidence can be collected. As the assessor will be entering the learner’s work place it is important to involve the employer in the planning process. However, for non-performance evidence it could be more cost effective to assess via Skype, email or to arrange a meeting in a suitable place of convenience, not necessarily the learner’s work place. HOW The learner will want to know how the assessment will take place and what will be involved during the assessment. The assessor will need to discuss and agree with the learner the most suitable method of assessment to collect the most evidence. The assessor must ensure the assessment is fair, unbiased and cost effective by making the best use of time; if the learner is required to produce any prior evidence then this must be arranged in advance of the assessment. Holistic assessment in the learner’s work place would be beneficial for it is naturally occurring evidence. The assessor would use observation, witness testimony and professional discussion for performance evidence and multiple choice questions, verbal questioning and assignments for knowledge and understanding. The assessor will make a judgement on the evidence and decide whether the learner has demonstrated enough to meet the criteria or not. The assessor will need to arrange how and when feedback will be given to the learner to attend to any performance issues. 6. Explain the benefits of holistic assessment and how you would plan for holistic assessment (3. 2). The assessor is responsible for ensuring that methods used during holistic assessment covers several aspects of the performance and knowledge criteria from different units. This will ensure the assessment is cost effective make evidence collection and demonstration of competence more efficient. The assessor would need to plan the assessment before it took place to ensure that any particular requirements of the learner are taken into account and the assessment is adapted to meet their individual needs. For instance, holistic assessments will benefit learners who have dyslexia or literacy difficulties. Holistic observation can include oral questioning and minimize the amount of written work the learner has to do. Thus they are not excluded or disadvantaged by having learning difficulties. If the learner has a disability then the assessor should make sure the learner has extra time to complete the assessment tasks and is given any support needed. Moreover, any learner with difficulties are entitled to have reasonable adjustments made to ensure they have the equality of opportunity and support to enable them access assessment. Furthermore, if the learner has difficulties then the individual learning plan will agree short term targets for achievement, assessment strategies and review dates. The benefits of holistic assessment are that the assessor is able to observe the candidate at work in natural occurring situations. The candidate would be able to demonstrate several aspects of the qualification and cover more than one unit at the same time by taking a performance unit which incorporates parts of a knowledge unit. Holistic assessment should ideally take place in the learners work environment and the candidate’s job role should be discussed with to establish any prior learning they have, to identify which units could be covered at the same time. By doing this it would reduce the amount of visits needed to the candidate’s work place, make the best use of time and ensure the assessment is cost-effective. 7. Why is it important to involve the learner and others in the assessment process? (4. 1) A learner should be involved in the assessment process so they can understand why they are doing assessment activities and the purpose of providing evidence of competence. The candidate’s involvement will enable them to remain motivated as they will have the opportunity to add their own input, analyse their own experience and understanding. Without support the learner could become confused and lack enthusiasm, but if others, such as the assessor and employer helped them to achieve their aim, it will give the learner self motivation and encourage them to remain positive through the assessment process. At some stage of the assessment process it may be necessary for someone other than the assessor to provide evidence of the learner’s competence in the work place. The witness must be known by the learner and experienced in the candidate’s occupational area, possibly a line manager. 8. Give examples of the types of information that should be made available to learners and others involved in the assessment process (4. 2) At the initial assessment the learner will have taken a skills test which is an analysis of the learner’s skills so they are aware of current skills and areas for development. The learner should be provided with all documentation they need for the award, such as, assessment plans, individual learning plans, feedback sheets, information on the company carrying out the assessment and the assessors contact details, phone number and email address. Additionally, a copy of the complaint and appeal procedure, equality and diversity Policies, how to contact the assessor for cancelling visits and information on health and safety 9. What are the benefits of peer and self assessment? (4. 3). The benefits of peer and self assessment are the learner develops skills, such as listening, observing and questioning and has a greater involvement in their own learning process. The peer and learner can understand the role and the need for assessment better. It allows for greater understanding of the criteria for achievement and how it is judged, thus, encouraging the individual to take responsibility for their own learning. The learner will develop analytical skills and improve self awareness of strengths and weaknesses and identify opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, develop the ability not only to assess their own work but that of others, thus developing analytical skills and use reflective practice of their own performance. When a learner assesses their own progress and those of their peers, they will learn to take personal responsibility of how to make a decision and provide feedback as to why that decision was made. 10. How can assessment arrangements be adapted to meet the needs of individual learners? (4. 4). The learner is entitled to a fair assessment and the assessor needs to use the most relevant assessment methods for the learner to demonstrate their ability. The assessor must take into consideration that not all learners are the same and treat the candidate as an individual, taking into account any requirements they might have. For example, the assessor needs to consider a learner’s work pattern involved working shift patterns and agree a suitable time for assessment which does not disrupt working practice and make the most of the meeting. Furthermore, confidentiality issues must be taken into consideration and reflection of individual learning styles. If the learner has dyslexia, learning difficulties or English is the second language then the assessor must work with the learner to establish which method of assessment would be more beneficial to them. The assessor will need to vary the methods to keep the learner motivated and extra time given to learners who have difficulties and ensure the learner understands what is being said to them. Feedback should be given as soon as possible to ensure the learner remains interested and motivated. 11. Explain how you judge evidence and make assessment decisions, making reference to the criteria and assessment requirements (5. 1, 5. 2) The assessment plan will need to be agreed by the assessor and learner to which assessment methods will be used to cover the entire criteria standard. The assessor needs to ensure that the assessment is valid, authentic, efficient, fair and reliable. At least four different methods would be used during assessments; these could be observation, evidence of knowledge, witness statements and professional discussion. Any prior achievement and experience of the learner will be taken into account as long as it is relevant to assessment of their competence; it would not be cost effective to have a candidate repeat an activity they had already acquired in the past. However the assessor must have proof that evidence is authentic by either asking for a copy of certificate or a witness statement and the evidence is current and relevant to the occupational standards. The assessor will review the evidence and assess it against the required elements of the qualification, it will allow for a decision to whether the candidate is competent or not yet competent. Competence can be awarded if the evidence is: * Valid * Reliable * Sufficient * Authentic * Current * Safe The assessor must abide by the Equality Act 2010 to not discriminate or harass against protected characteristics where fairness might be compromised. 12. Explain the procedures for and importance of quality assurance and standardisation. (6. 1, 6. 2) Quality assurance is important as it ensures the national standards are being maintained. The internal verification procedures will monitor equal opportunities and access the decisions made by the assessor are fair, valid and reliable. The internal verifier will use a range of methods to confirm that the assessment is meeting the requirements of awarding bodies. Methods used could be through observation, questioning, and professional discussion or sample the portfolio. It is vital that the assessor is assessing according to regulations and guidelines from awarding bodies, qualification and credit framework and keeps accurate records from assessments to create an audit trail for internal and external verification. To ensure all assessment decisions are consistent and fair the assessor will be encouraged to attend meetings with colleagues involved with the same subject and their internal verifier, to ensure they all understand the units they are assessing and looking for similar evidence. To compare assessment decisions and share good practice with colleagues will help the assessor to develop skills, up date knowledge and personal development. However, it is not compulsory to attend the meeting, the assessor could standardise their practice by reviewing standards and documents online. 13. Explain the appeals and complaints procedure (6. 3) The assessor should provide the learner with a written copy of the complaints and appeal procedure which meets the requirements of the awarding body and discuss this with them in the assessment planning session. If at any time during the assessment process the learner has a complaint or feels a decision the assessor has made is unfair to them, then the learner will know who to go to with their issue and how it will be followed up. However, before this stage is reached the assessor should encourage an informal discussion with the learner to see if the issue can be resolved. If the learner is not confident about discussing it with the assessor then it may be necessary to involve the internal verifier. However if the complaint or appeal remains unresolved then this must be put in writing to the chief executive who will look into and respond within 5 working days. If the learner is still unsatisfied with the outcome then they can request the complaint or appeal is investigated by an independent panel, which will consist of an independent assessor and internal verifier. The panel will investigate the appeal or complaint and notify of their decision within 14 working days. If at this stage the complaint or appeal has still not been rectified then the learner should contact the awarding body – NCFE, whose details will be given once it has reached this stage. 14. Why is the management of information important? (7. 1) The assessor will need to ensure that any documentation acquired during the assessment process is following the national standards for assessment and verification and be aligned with the centre and awarding body policies. Each document must be accurate stating which assessment methods where used, whether, observation, oral or written. Furthermore, they must show that both candidate and assessor agreed to how the evidence will be obtained and the decision made as to whether it was achieved or not. It is essential that any document is signed, dated and stored correctly to ensure data protection and confidentiality. Other types of documentation could be completed log books, action plans, feedback comments, learner records or anything which records the candidate’s achievement. It is imperative that the information is managed professionally as the assessor could find themselves in breach of laws and regulations, such as, data protection Act if they fail to comply. Failure to manage information correctly could result in having complaints and appeals made against the assessor and have a dramatic effect on the assessment centre quality assurance when the external verifier carries out an inspection visit twice a year. To ensure standards are being met and claim for certification is valid the external verifier will need to see a mixture of the candidate’s files and interview a variety of assessors. If the standards have been met and the external verifier is satisfied that the correct procedures are being followed the centre will receive a grade of 1-2. Unfortunately if the centre receives a grade of 3-5 then there is a possibility that they could have sanctions placed upon them and lose their direct claim status and registration suspended until the matter is resolved. 15. Why should you give the learner feedback? (7. 2) Feedback is an important tool for learning and development and to improve performance and motivate the learner. The learner will have a better understanding of how they have progressed during assessments. After the assessor has carried out an assessment they would need to give feedback to the candidate as soon as possible by either verbal communication or written. If verbal is used via phone or face to face, then this must be backed up by a written copy. The assessor should include information about achievement in relation to the criteria and any comments should provide detailed advice on how to cover any gaps between current performance and the target aimed for. The candidate should be encouraged to ask questions regarding the feedback to help them understand how the assessor had reached their decision. This would also assist the assessor to reflect upon their role and evaluate if the assessment process was fair, valid and reliable and the assessment methods used was the most appropriate for the candidates needs. If the candidate did not meet the required standard then the assessor should give constructive feedback which would focus more on the activity or work produced rather than the candidate. Constructive feedback is part of a successful assessment as the learner will know what they have achieved or need to develop. Thus the learner will be encouraged to take more responsibility of their own learning development and deepen their understanding of the criteria. Feedback should be given on a 2. 1 scale, known as the sandwich approach. It should start with positive comments, then the areas which need to be improved; lastly, the assessor should end the feedback on a positive to encourage the candidate to keep interested, motivated and confident. 16. What are the key policies and procedures that relate to assessment? For example Bright delivery policy and NCFE policies and procedures etc. Give a brief explanation of what each one is. (8. 1) The assessor will need to follow policies and procedures additionally to those mentioned in question 3, for example: Bright’s delivery policy states the following points: Bright’s delivery policy sates the following points: †¢Once the candidates deposit has been cleared and relevant paperwork is complete the candidate will receive their registration pack within 48hrs †¢Following this the mentor will contact the candidate within 48 hours †¢Mentors can be contacted mon – fri 9am – 6pm sat 10-1 †¢Alternately leave a message and the mentor will contact the candidate within 4 hours †¢Once all theory and practical assessments are complete candidates will receive their certificate. Under Bright’s delivery policy the following procedures relate to assessment: †¢Quality audit of completed Individual Learning Plans †¢Quali.

Violence In Sports :: essays research papers

Violence in Sports To: Mrs. Woods From: Jean-Philippe Do you think there's a connection between sports and violence? If you do, do you think it should be banned? I too think that it's connected but, unlike most people, don't think it should be banned. I have many reasons to believe so and I will state them in my essay. First I will point out that not all sports include violence. Not many actually express violence, the only ones that do contain violence are team sports. I'm not saying that I dislike team sports, au contraire I love team sports, they help build team spirits. All I'm saying is that sports like football contain lots of violence, unlike individual sports like ping pong or kayaking. Some sports are now becoming so violent that it's almost impossible to remove the violence without removing the sport itself. Lots of people protest because some sports are too violent and they're trying to take the violence away by banning them. What they don't realize is that there are billions of fans that are obsessed by those sports and by taking a sport away from them, could ruin their lives. Trying to stop the violence is almost like trying to declare world peace. There will always be someone who either picks a fight or builds an underground organization. Football, hockey, soccer, and all those other violent sports will be practiced until the end of the world. Another reason why I don't want these sports to be cut is because when you practice a sport like football it helps you release all that frustration and energy you have inside. By releasing all that pressure it helps you relax for a period of time. Getting rid of popular sports like hockey or football could put a lot more kids on the streets because they would have nowhere else to go or nothing else to do. Some people tell others to keep their kids out of team sports to avoid getting involved in a gang. What those people don't realize is that those kids that never played a team sport

Debunking the Democratic Peace Theory Essay

The development of the democratic peace theory started with the writings of has its roots in the writings of German Philosopher Immanuel Kant. In 1795 Kant went talked about â€Å"perpetual peace based partially upon states sharing ‘republican constitutions.’† He then said, â€Å"that a republican form of government, exemplifying the rule of law, provides a feasible basis for states to overcome structural anarchy and to secure peaceful relations among themselves.† Kant continues to argue that â€Å"once the aggressive interests of absolute monarchists are tamed and once the habit of respect for individual rights is engrained by republican governments, wars would appear as the disaster to people’s warfare,† rather than an instrument for growing a state, as it was used for many centuries. This was the true beginning of what we now know to be the Democratic Peace Theory. This theory remained dormant in the minds of realists and neo-realists that strongly influenced the field of international relations for centuries leading into the Cold War. In 1972, American sociologist Dean Babst published an article in which he reported â€Å"no wars have been fought between independent nations with elective governments between 1789 and 1941.† This enlightened the worlds of political science and international relations and ever since studies have followed this theory, constantly supporting it and positive relationships between democracies. Expanding on Kant’s original idea of democratic peace, political science professor Bruce Russett a very hot topic, exclaiming, â€Å"democracies had rarely if ever gone to war with each other† as a fact. With this simple statement, Russett made political scientists either accept or oppose the democratic peace theory and countless attempts to support each point of view with historical evidence. Democratic peace theorists have long asserted that all democracies are not only more peaceful than other governments, but are prone to fight against countries ran by other forms of government when they are engaged in war. These theorists and political science buffs argue that democratic peace is supported by a long history of peace and civility between democracies versus military action elsewhere. However, the democratic peace theory is problematic because it prematurely takes a stance on the grounds that a correlation between democratic status and incidence of war is proof of an ally relationship between nations opposed to a statistical anomaly. Does a historical anomaly excuse the desire for mutual democratic passivity? Ph.D. Sebastian Rosato of the University of Chicago argues, â€Å"Democracies do not reliably externalize their domestic norms of conflict resolution and do not trust or respect one another when their interests clash.† Rosato makes a very accurate observation , democracies tend to be rather secretive or even circumvent surrounding conflict resolution particularly with other democracies. Having a democratic government does not assure universal peace, and different forms of democracy assure disputes and clashes between governments between exceedingly democratic societies. In reality, some of the most thorough liberal democratic end up in war with non-democratic nations, justifying combat with the claim of spreading democracy. Though economic interests are typically apparent and the underlying motive for warfare, media throughout democratic countries end up not only tolerating, but also accepting and normalizing war as if it was a trending topic that came and went. Representative democratic systems lead to monolithic party structures that initiate war and still get elected to new terms and positions in government. Advocates of the democratic peace theory often fail to discuss colonial wars and civil wars, as they do not support the theory and its ultimate goal of widespread peace. The histories of many democratic countries have proven to not hold up with the democratic peace theory. Democratic countries have repeatedly fought colonial and civil wars which critics show to make the democratic peace theory false. Political Scientists Ravlo, Gleditcsch, and Dorussen expand upon the colonial war aspect of opposing the Democratic Peace Theory in â€Å"Colonial War and the Democratic Peace† in 2003’s The Journal of Conflict Resolution. They elaborate on reasons suggested to explain why colonial wars do not invalidate the democratic peace argument, saying, â€Å"First, although democracies rarely, if ever, fight one another, they participate in war as much as non-democracies. Thus, mixed political dyads have the greatest propensity for war. Second, the nature of colonial conflict has changed over time. Finally, a correct assessment of the democratic peace argument needs to rely on a multivariate model.† The trio makes great points regarding colonial wars and how they work against the democratic peace theory. Regarding the first point, if non-state rivals were perceived to be nondemocratic, democratic states would regularly engage in colonial wars. Also, the nature of colonial conflict has indeed changed over time, and the relationship between democracy and colonial war is tested in imperialist, colonial, and postcolonial eras. With appropriate control variables in place, it is apparent that the positive relationship between democracy and war begins to vanish. History also shows us that in the post-World War II period, democracies begin to fight colonial far less than non-democracy states. There are various reasons why this occurred other than a simple theory that universal democracy equals world peace without question. Primarily this may have occurred due to changes in the views non-European peoples, typically in non-democracies outside of the primarily Caucasian western world. Legendary Political Scientist and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee stresses, â€Å"It is primarily democracies that h ave made colonial conquests and fought wars to prevent the liberation of colonies,† and, â€Å"Preferring to deal only with â€Å"coherent,† â€Å"mature,† and â€Å"stable† democracies, when these varying regimes prevent coherence, maturity, and stability abroad, is clearly ethnocentric.† Excluding the civil and colonial war histories form democratic governments from the study and validation of the democratic peace theory not only makes the affirmative point of view on the theory inaccurate, but also does come off very ethnocentric. In short, civil and colonial wars expose some of the bloodiest and most dysfunctional, corrupt eras in the governments of democracies around the globe. In the published piece, â€Å"Democracies are Their Own Enemies,† Political Science Professor Dr. Gilbert N. Kahn claims, â€Å"In watching the events throughout the world over the past few weeks, one is struck by how profoundly challenged democracy has become. In the United States, Great Britain, and even Israel, fundamental democratic values appear to be undermined by the political behavior of elected leaders. All of this is occurring at a time when the West is trying to sell democracy to the world.† While America is being criticized for starting war through attempting to sp read democracy with clear economic motives, Israel is realizing the extent of its social and economic disparities as a few rich families have their hands in much of the government, and The United Kingdom is seeing regular revolts and terror attacks in its economic centers. Democracies are becoming their own enemy in promoting a democratic government, and showing how they react when under social and economic pressure. Democratic nations rarely engage in wars of aggression against other democratic nations, absent substantial provocation or dire necessity. Nations tend to go to war mainly based upon: Expansion of territory or ideals, defense and pre-emptive strike upon a threatening nation, or conflicts of interest that are inexplicable through diplomacy. These other vital conflicts are worth further consideration. Two democracies could still find themselves inexplicable conflicts of interest. If both two democracies required resources in a border region to prevent their economic turmoil, economies from collapsing, and there wasn’t enough resource in that border region to share between the two of them, that just may force them against each other. Under conditions when democracies are in competition under the pressure of economy, the democratic peac e theory supplies no explanation for why widespread democracy would work equally peacefully for all nations. Democratic Peace Theory harps on the idea that democratic nation-states won’t go to war because its citizens would vote against heads of government for re-election for putting the nation in conflict. No one likes the idea of war despite whatever government they live under, or the idea of family members being sent off for extended periods of time without a promise of returning. According to Dr. Hebert West, â€Å"correlation does not equate to causation is one of the first and foremost rules of the social sciences, and causality requires several alternative explanations to be proven wrong.† The fact that the correlation between democracy and war does not equate to causation proves that though correlation between democracy and peace is strong by many accounts, sufficient evidence to prove that a causal relationship exists in the desired direction by democratic peace theorists, without the influence of other variables, has yet to be published. This disproves a key part of the democratic peace theory: that the need for the face of government discourages igniting war. The field of International Relations has always debated when and why democracies would go to war with one another. Debaters disagree that liberal ideas in democracies help them avoid war. The over legitimacy of empirical evidence typically used to defend democratic peace also comes under fire in most political fields. Using historical evidence to prove that widespread democracy bring world peace is a very far fetched comment without examining all the details that make it possible for democracies to engage in war internationally with having the action always take place within the non-democratic state. The theory has been difficult to prove empirically, which is why it remains a theory. While the idea of democratic peace is enticing, it does not allow for the error that occurs even when international democracy is accomplished. When looking at the face of historical circumstance the democratic peace theory may appear to be true. However, when one uses this historical anomaly as a predictive tool for future behavior of states seems ill-informed when no one field of politics can agree on one side of the argument, or give solid evidence that democratic peace would be successful even if applied. The longevity of democratic peace is strongly unlikely as no two democracies have ever been the same. Difference in ideals encourages nations to force their form of democracy on other countries. Democratic peace theory takes advantage of circumstance. This debunks the idea that if all nations were liberal democracies, there would be no war because no two democracies are the same and the urge to spread one nation’s ideals will always cause conflict. A strong example of a democracy that helps break down the democratic peace theory is South Africa. On April 26, 1994, South Africans of all heritages voted like never before to mark the symbolic end of apartheid and the beginning of South Africa’s rough transition to democracy. In nearly two decades, South Africa has achieved greater political stability and greater economic freedom and growth, lowering public debt. While major political parties hold on to democratic ways, more South Africans now receive education and have access to electricity and clean water. However, South Africa still has major challenges ahead such as extremely high HIV/AIDS rates and government corruption. South Africa is a democracy in that it is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. South Africa is rather peaceful with its neighboring countries (Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Mozambique and Namibia), bei ng that the last official war South Africa has engaged in was the Boer War (1899-1902). The war was supposedly based on British expansion with â€Å"an underlying cause being the presence in the Transvaal territory of the largest gold-mining complex in the world, beyond direct British control.† This sounds familiar, that the United Kingdom, a democracy, would kill and pillage for economic, monetary benefit. South Africa is a perfect example of why universal democracy would not manifest into long-term world peace. South Africa is a representative democracy; in that it’s current government is a variety of democracy, opposed to direct democracy. South Africa’s Legislative Branch consists of the National Council of Provinces where there are 90 seats are occupied by 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms, and the National Assembly where 400 seats are occupied by members elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms. South Africa also has a common judiciary system where The Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Appeal and High Courts have the power to protect and regulate their own processes, and to develop the common law. However, South Africa’s executive branch is unique In that the people to not vote directly for their president, Jacob Zuma, instead South African citizens only have the power to elect members of the National assembly, which in turn ends up choosing the next president for the country. In a world where the democratic peace theory is put into action, South Africa’s different way of running a government while still under the title of democracy would certainly clash with democracies of the western world. The People’s Republic of China is a huge world player and has seen an incredible economic boom since the 1990’s. China’s Legislative Branch has a National People’s Congress where the level of Congress directly below them indirectly chooses them. The Judicial court has a typical high court and smaller courts. However the executive branch is run by Communist Party of China (CPC), â€Å"whose power is enshrined China’s constitution.† Local politicians are voted for but a hierarchical electoral college chooses higher officials and the president, Hu Jintao, a position that was officially created in China’s 1982 constitution. Though China’s Communist Party has modernized its authoritarianism to fit the times, it is still certainly an authoritarian government. As a communist country that runs on a social organization characterized by submission to authority and its administration, which is, compared to the size of the country, concentrated in a small group of politicians. China isn’t engaged in war, and hasn’t been since the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979. Also China still owns Tibet after invading the territory in 1950. Given this information, China maintains relationships with many of it’s neighbors so that the two nations never reach the point of war, but cannot be classified as non-violent wit neighboring countries Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Vietnam. The Islam Republic of Afghanistan is made of one of the world’s oldest nations. Afghanistan is certainly a totalitarian country, being that the Islam Republic of Afghanistan is a political where the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life. Afghanistan’s judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court, High Courts, and Appeal Courts. The legislative branch consists of a National Assembly, which consists of an upper and lower house. The executive branch, however, is run by the president, which is voted in by the public through a run off majority vote. President Hamid Karzai is the head of the executive branch, serving as the head of state and the Command-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is currently in a war with the United States. In fact, the War in Afghanistan began on 7 October 2001, as the armed forces of the United States, the Kingdom, France, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. America has tried to introduce democracy to Afghanistan while fighting the war on their land and killing their citizens, a common action of democracies around the world. Hence, Afghanistan is currently not in good peaceful with its neighbors, which include Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran. Indubitably, the democratic peace theory is simply just that, a theory. It is doubtful that democracies are less violent that other countries, despite not having militarized disputes with other democracies. With that in mind, the tendency for democracies to attack fledgling democracies has shown to stand out among the observed pattern that democracies do not fight with each other if the hegemonic or economic or hegemonic benefits are high enough. This debunks the claim that democracy determines the level of peace between any given states. Perhaps relationships between democracies are simply just a facade and raise the question of alternative explanations, such as a spurious relationship. Political Science Professor Erik Gartzke proposes that, â€Å"it is capitalism, and not democracy, that is the independent variable which causes peace and war.† Despite the validity of this claim, one would doubt that the state of international war and affairs would depend upon one single variable regardless. It is much more likely that a combination of variables between nations, under specific conditions, creates one of countless outcomes necessary for the potential for war. The spread of democracy is relatively new compared to other widespread forms of government and statehood, providing far too few examples to weigh its statements on. Works Cited â€Å"British Military & Criminal History in the period 1900 to 1999.† Stephen’s Study Room. http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/boer_war.htm (accessed November 29, 2012). Chan, Steve. In Search of Democratic Peace: Problems and Promise. Mershon International Studies Review 41 (1997): 59-91. Chan, Steve. â€Å"In Search of Democratic Peace: Problems and Promise.† Mershon International Studies Review 41 (1997): p. 60 â€Å"CONSTITUTION OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.† People. English.people.com.cn/constitution/constitution.html (accessed November 20, 2012). Dorussen, Han, Nils Peter Gleditsch, and Hilde Ravlo. â€Å"Colonial War and the Democratic Peace.† The Journal of Conflict Resolution Vol. 47, no. No. 4 (2003): 520-548. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3176207 (accessed November 20, 2012). Doyle, Michael W. â€Å"Kant, Liberal Legacies, and Foreign Affairs.† Debating the Democratic Peace. Eds. Michael E. Brown, Sean M. Lynn-Jones and Steven E. Miller. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1996, p.24 Gartzke, Erik A. â€Å"Erik A. Gartzke, Associate Professor, University of California, San Diego.† UCSD. Haas, Michael. 1995. â€Å"When Democracies Fight One Another, Just What is the Punishment for Disobeying the Law?† Paper presented at the 91st annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, August, Chicago. 7. Haas, Michael. 1995. â€Å"When Democracies Fight One Another, Just What is the Punishment for Disobeying the Law?† Paper presented at the 91st annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, August, Chicago. 14. Khan, Dr. Gilbert. â€Å"Democracies are Their Own Worst Enemies.† The New Jersey Jewish News, August 17, 2011. http://www.njjewishnews.com/ (accessed November 20, 2012). Russett, Bruce. Grasping the Democratic Peace: Principles for a Post-Cold War World. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1993: p. 4 Sebastian Rosato (2003). The Flawed Logic of Democratic Peace Theory. American Political Science Review, 97, pp 585-602. West, Dr. Herbert. â€Å"The History of ‘Correlation Does Not Imply Causation’ .†Slashdot. October 3, 2012. http://news.silobreaker.com/the-history-of-correlation-does-not-imply-causation. (Accessed November 20, 2012).

Handwriting

In my opinion, right-handed girls have more legible handwriting than left-handed girls. While doing my research I wanted to know if you were born with good handwriting, or if you learn that way, so I decided to look it up and help with more research (Handwriting skills for children, n.d.). The science behind my project is the brain and how it determines whether you are left-handed or right-handed.Judging handwriting can be helpful when you look at how they form their letters, the neatness of the writing, and how they space their letters while writing (Handwriting, July 14, 2017). Handwriting specialists look at the size of the letters, the shape, and if they slant their letters. They also look at margins, format, and line features (How an Expert Compares Handwriting, n.d.). I noticed in my project that when people where on the neat section that they wrote smaller, closser, and they also wrote darker. Also, on the regular section some people wrote bigger and more spaced out. Then on the cursive section they took a little bit longer because they did not have good education on cursive writing .The hand is made up of many bones that help make handwriting easier. There is 27 bones in just one of the human hands. There is 8 carpal bones, 5 metacarpal bones and 14 finger bones. There are held together by joints and ligaments. There are lumbricals in the hand. That includes four thin muscles that bend the metacarpophalangeal joints to extend your fingers. Did you know, that there are 17,000 touch receptors and free nerve endings in the palm of your hand. There are three bones in each of your fingers, but there are only two in your thumb. (How Does The Hand Work?, December 23, 2016) Here are a couple of facts about the brain, and which part controls handwriting. The cerebrum is the part of the brain that controls handwriting, it also controls speech, emotions, vision, and touch. Did you know, the right hemisphere of the brain is dominant to the left side of the body and the left hemisphere of the brain is dominant to the right side of the body? Which means when left-handed people write it is the right side of the brain, and vise versa for right-handed people. There is a chance of about 26% that a child will become left-handed if both parents are? 8.6% of women are left-handed in the world (Handedness and the Brain, n.d.). In conclusion, the science behind my project is how the brain controls handwriting. 90% of the world is right handed and only 10% of the world is left-handed. Hand specialist look at many things while looking at people's writing. Did you know, they even made a day for left-handed people? Doing this project has taught me a lot about left-handed supplies and other interesting things. In my project, I can conclude that right-handed girls have better handwriting than left-handed girls.

Free Essays on The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye tells the sad story of Pecola Breedlove, a poor prepubescent black girl, who wants to be loved and cared for by her family and society. She is a very dark skinned black girl and is ridiculed, and hated by her community because of this. She idolizes images of blond haired, blue-eyed white girls like Shirley Temple. She believes having bright, beautiful, blue eyes will make people love and care for her. Her mother, Pauline, reinforces this belief by dedicating her life to this rich white family and doting over their blond, blue-eyed little girl, while at the same time completely ignoring her own little girl. After being raped and impregnated by her father she is asked to leave school. The child is stillborn and Pecola goes insane withdrawing into a fantasy world where she has the bluest eyes of all. Morrison makes strong social statements about race, beauty, and abandonment in our society through the sad, sometimes exaggerated story of Pecola Breedlove. Morrison has stated that the book is about one’s dependency on the world for identification, self-value, and feelings of worth. While no one would argue this isn’t true, she is also placing blame on society for forcing a fixed image of beauty on an individual. It is very easy for one to make the argument that Morrison is making social commentary on the injustice white Americans have caused black people (i.e. forcing blacks to deny their natural beauty in order to placate white expectation.) However, in this novel Morrison is placing the spot light on African-Americans and how racism within the race accelerates their self destruction. In this story, postwar middle-American black communities use the image of Shirley Temple in the same way southern creoles created the infamous â€Å"paper bag test† to exclu de darker skinned blacks from the higher tiers of African American society. The story is about the unraveling of society... Free Essays on The Bluest Eye Free Essays on The Bluest Eye The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye tells the sad story of Pecola Breedlove, a poor prepubescent black girl, who wants to be loved and cared for by her family and society. She is a very dark skinned black girl and is ridiculed, and hated by her community because of this. She idolizes images of blond haired, blue-eyed white girls like Shirley Temple. She believes having bright, beautiful, blue eyes will make people love and care for her. Her mother, Pauline, reinforces this belief by dedicating her life to this rich white family and doting over their blond, blue-eyed little girl, while at the same time completely ignoring her own little girl. After being raped and impregnated by her father she is asked to leave school. The child is stillborn and Pecola goes insane withdrawing into a fantasy world where she has the bluest eyes of all. Morrison makes strong social statements about race, beauty, and abandonment in our society through the sad, sometimes exaggerated story of Pecola Breedlove. Morrison has stated that the book is about one’s dependency on the world for identification, self-value, and feelings of worth. While no one would argue this isn’t true, she is also placing blame on society for forcing a fixed image of beauty on an individual. It is very easy for one to make the argument that Morrison is making social commentary on the injustice white Americans have caused black people (i.e. forcing blacks to deny their natural beauty in order to placate white expectation.) However, in this novel Morrison is placing the spot light on African-Americans and how racism within the race accelerates their self destruction. In this story, postwar middle-American black communities use the image of Shirley Temple in the same way southern creoles created the infamous â€Å"paper bag test† to exclu de darker skinned blacks from the higher tiers of African American society. The story is about the unraveling of society...

Cómo ahorrar en costo boletos Disneyland y Disneyworld

Cà ³mo ahorrar en costo boletos Disneyland y Disneyworld Disneyland, en el sur de California, y DisneyWorld, en Orlando, Florida, son dos de los grandes destinos turà ­sticos de los hispanos que viven en Estados Unidos y de Latinoamericanos y espaà ±oles que visitan el paà ­s como turistas. Las entradas, tambià ©n conocidas como tickets o boletos, son caras. Pero sabiendo dà ³nde comprarlos se pueden obtener descuentos para el parque californiano de Disneyland, como DisneyWorld. Cabe destacar que los nià ±os menores de 3 aà ±os no pagan tickets de ingreso ni a DisneyWorld ni a Disneyland. Entre esa edad y los 10 aà ±os deben comprar ticket de infantes. Los mayores de 10 aà ±os pagan como un adulto. A continuacià ³n, los precios de los tickets y pases para Disneyland y Disneyworld, dà ³nde comprarlos con descuento, quà © tipo de personas tienen acceso a ahorros adicionales, quà © no se puede hacer con los tickets bajo riesgo de arresto y, finalmente, quà © hacer para no perderlos en caso de extravà ­o o robo. Costo de tickets Disneyland en 2018 Para los parques temticos Disneyland Park y Disney California Adventure Park. El costo de los tickets varà ­an segà ºn el nà ºmero de dà ­as que pueden utilizarse y si se utilizan para un à ºnico parque o para ambos. El precio para un à ºnico dà ­a debe consultarse, ya que varà ­a enormemente segà ºn la fecha. Una vez que se compra debe utilizarse antes del 31 de diciembre de 2019. El costo de un ticket para 2 dà ­as puede adquirirse a partir de $105 por jornada, el de 3 dà ­as a partir de $93,34/jornada, el de 4 dà ­as desde $76,25/jornada y el de 5 dà ­as a partir de $64/jornada. Comprar un ticket para 3, 4 o 5 dà ­as da derecho a utilizar una maà ±ana el pase conocido como Magic Morning y que da derecho a entrar a atracciones, tiendas y restaurantes antes de que abran al pà ºblico en general. Todos los tickets son personales y no se pueden transferir a otra persona. Adems, el Disney MaxPass, que puede comprarse a partir de $10 por dà ­a y por ticket o por $75 anuales, permite acceder a fotos sin là ­mite y a utilizar el sistema FastPass para elegir un nà ºmero de atracciones que se pueden disfrutar sin necesidad de esperar en fila como el resto de los usuarios de los parques de atracciones. Adems, hay la posibilidad de comprar Pasaportes Anuales que dan derecho no sà ³lo al ingreso a los parques sino tambià ©n a descuentos adicionales. Los costos de los pasaportes anuales son los siguientes: Disney Signature Passport: $999Disney Deluxe Passport: $729Disney Signature Plus Passport: $1.149 Costo de los tickets para DisneyWorld en 2018 En DisneyWorld hay 4 parques temticos y 2 parques acuticos: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studio, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach y Typhon Lagoon. El precio de los tickets depende de si se compran para un à ºnico parque o permite el acceso a ms de uno. Tambià ©n depende del nà ºmero de dà ­as, permitià ©ndose pases de un mximo de 10. Destacar que al igual que sucede con las entradas a Disneyland, en DisneyWorld los menores de 3 aà ±os no pagan, entre 3 y 9 aà ±os se paga el ticket infantil y el de adulto a partir de los 10 aà ±os de edad. El costo de tickets para un à ºnico dà ­a debe consultarse porque varà ­a enormemente dependiendo de la fecha. Para ms de un dà ­a los precios son los siguientes: 2 dà ­as: a partir de $118,503 dà ­as: a partir de 101,664 dà ­as: a partir de $94,755 dà ­as: a partir de $77.406 dà ­as: a partir de $66,507 dà ­as: a partir de $58,858 dà ­as: a partir de $52,509 dà ­as: a partir de $47,6610 dà ­as: a partir de $43.70 Los tickets deben utilizarse en los 14 dà ­as siguientes a su compra. Al igual que sucede con Disneyland, tambià ©n es posible comprar tickets anuales para DisneyWorld cuyos precios son los siguientes: Premium Annual Passport: $1.579Disney Platinum Plus Pass: $994Disney Platinum Pass: $894 Todos los precios de los pases anuales son a partir de los 3 aà ±os. Descuentos en el precio de los tickets de Disney Cabe destacar que en la mayorà ­a de los casos es difà ­cil obtener descuentos superiores al 5 por ciento por ticket y que se debe sospechar y analizar todas aquellas ofertas que brindan un descuento mayor, principalmente si piden pago en efectivo o por Wester Union. Tambià ©n debe sospecharse de las pginas que brindan descuentos y que en el url tienen la palabra Disney, ya que eso indica que no son vendedores autorizados por la propia Disney y tampoco se debe comprar un ticket de un solo dà ­a con descuento, porque tampoco est autorizado. Es ms fcil ahorrar alojndose fuera de los parques o eligiendo restaurantes baratos que en el costo de los tickets. Aà ºn asà ­, sà ­ que en ocasiones es posible comprar los boletos ms baratos que al precio oficial. Para el pà ºblico en general, las reglas generales son las siguientes.Para tickets de 1 o 2 dà ­as: comprar directamente en las puertas.Get Away Today es una pgina especialista en tickets para Disneyland que debe siempre checarse.Para tickets de 2 a 10 dà ­as para DisneyWorld o para entradas de varios dà ­as en Disneyland verificar con Undercover Tourist, un vendedor autorizado.Para Disneyland verificar tambià ©n con Disneyland Good Neighbor HotelsPara tickets anuales para DisneyWorld, informarse con Auto Club South Es posible comprar tickets en Cotsco, Walmart, Safeway y AAA, pero como regla general puede afirmarse que los descuentos son mà ­nimos. Adems, existen descuentos especiales como residentes de Florida, funcionarios pà ºblicos, miembros del Disney Vacation Plan, visitantes de Irlanda y el Reino Unido, descuentos a empresas y, finalmente a militares en activo, reserva, retirados y miembros de la Guardia Nacional. Los militares pueden comprar tickets de descuento, que varà ­a segà ºn la à ©poca del aà ±o. La regla general es comprarlos con anticipacià ³n contactando con MWR y mostrar el I.D. militar a la puerta del parque. Quà © hacer y quà © no hacer con los tickets de Disney Lo primero que debe hacerse es asegurarse de poder recuperar el ticket en caso de robo o pà ©rdida. Para ello existen dos opciones, en primer lugar, crear una cuenta en MyDisneyExperience y vincularla con los datos en el ticket. En segundo lugar, escanear el reverso del ticket y guardarlo en una cuenta de email o fotocopiarlo. En ambos casos ser posible obtener una nueva tarjeta o una MagicBand. Otro consejo a destacar es que no deben comprarse tickets a personas que los compraron para varios dà ­as y acaban no utilizndolos todos y quieren vender los no usados. Los tickets de Disneyland y DisneyWorld son personales e intransferibles y Disney utiliza un sistema biomà ©trico el primer dà ­a que se utiliza el ticket que le permite saber si alguien distinto pretende utilizarlo los dà ­as siguientes e impedir su ingreso. Adems, en el estado de Florida es un crimen y puede dar lugar al arresto de la persona que adquiere asà ­ las entradas a los parques temticos. Este tipo de incidente quedarà ­a en el rà ©cord migratorio, incluso en el de los turistas extranjeros. Turistas internacionales: a tener en cuenta Los turistas internacionales deben no olvidar la importancia de no permanecer en Estados Unidos ms tiempo del autorizado porque da lugar a la cancelacià ³n de la visa y, en el caso de turistas de un paà ­s en el Programa de Exencià ³n de Visados que ingresan a EE.UU sin visa, pierden ese privilegio si se quedan ilegalmente en el paà ­s, asà ­ sea por un solo dà ­a.. Asimismo y ya que California y Florida son estados donde los turistas acostumbran a manejar con frecuencia, se deben conocer las consecuencias de no  pagar las multas de trnsito. Puntos Clave: tickets para Disneyland y Disneyworld El precio de los tickets en Disneyland y Disneyworld depende de la edad del comprador, nà ºmero de dà ­as, si se visita uno o varios parques temticos y de los extra como, por ejemplo, FastPass.Los tickets son personales e intransferibles. Disney no admite utilizar boletos comprados a nombre de otra persona y en Florida es, adems, ilegal. Despuà ©s de comprarlos, vincularlos a la cuenta Mydisneyexperience o escanear o fotocopiar el reverso para poder recuperarlos en caso de robo o extravà ­o.Desconfiar de las ofertas que brindan grandes descuentos en tickets para Disneyland o Disneyworld o piden pago en efectivo o por Wester Union o incluyen la palabra Disney en el url de su pgina web.Es aconsejable comprar los tickets en el propio parque o en vendedores autorizados.Checar descuentos adicionales en costo de tickets para militares, reservistas y veteranos, residentes de Florida, funcionarios pà ºblicos y empleados determinadas empresas. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

American Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Value - Essay Example These are sets of values that we believe we, as a society, should, and often do, live by. Interestingly enough, even our entertainment industry propagates and furthers those values. In the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, also there were certain â€Å"American values.† The movie is based on a Stephen King novella by the name of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It revolves around the friendship of two inmates at the Shawshank State Penitentiary, Andy and Red. Andy is a banker convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, though he always maintains his innocence. Red is known to smuggle contraband in the penitentiary, and he gets Andy a rock hammer and a poster of Rita Hayworth. The jail warden uses Andy’s skills as a banker to launder money the former makes through kickbacks and selling prison labor cheaply. When a fellow inmate, Tommy, tells Andy that he knows of another penitentiary’s inmate who had confessed to killing Andy’s wife and her lover, Andy takes the information to the Warden. However, the Warden is scared that his fraud will be revealed in case of Andy’s release, therefore, he has Tommy killed. Later, Andy escapes and exposes the Warden as a result of which the Warden kills himself. Red, upon his parole, goes to Mexico, where Andy has escaped to, and reunites with his friend. The movie touches upon the concept of justice, a value we Americans hold highly.

Different Aspects of Statistics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Different Aspects of Statistics - Research Paper Example man about his likes and dislikes. For these different methods of statistics like sampling, probability, index numbers and others are used. Different aspects of statistics There are various aspects of statistics that are used in the business and cover different areas. All those aspects differ in their use and application. From policy making to administration and from raw material to the final production and sales, from demand forecasting to the supply of the product, statistical methods are required in every kind of business. However, the fact cannot be denied that there are certain limitations of statistics as well where it cannot work however in most of the cases the use of statistics has been made possible by the renowned statisticians and policy makers. Statistics is not only used by the private entrepreneurs but also by the government entities in formulating the policies. Those include both the short term and long term policies. (Keller, 2008) Demand forecasting Demand forecastin g is an analysis about the demand of a specific product in a given locality. Many factors likewise per capital income and economic condition of the country and similar others are considered before forecasting the demand. This is mainly done by the sales and marketing departments of the entity. This enables the production department to work more effectively. The due care must be taken before doing such a forecast because if it is underestimated it means the company has lost its sales and if it is over estimated this can result in waste of resources. Therefore it is recommended that demand forecasting must be done by specialists after reviewing all the necessary information available with them. Though the forecasting is very difficult and seems impossible however if information available with the forecasters is accurate and also they possess the required skills they may forecast the demand up to almost accurate level. This makes the company competitive in the market and helps in bette r provision of services and meets the real demand of the market. Some unusual factors like seasonal changes, promotional schemes and discount for valued customers may also cause an error in accurate forecasting of demand as these would attract more customers. All such factors should also be considered before collecting any kind of data. Concept of demand forecasting can better be understood by the following example. (Keller, 2008) Example: The demand for a product in each of the last five months is shown below. Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Demand 10 13 18 27 29 26 20 We can see that demand for a specific product is increasing slowly for the first three months but there is a sudden increase in the demand in the 4th month. This may be because many factors like seasonal change, a promotional scheme or some other however demand starts decreasing from the 6th month. At the time of forecasting demand professionals consider all the factors that what would be the demand of the product in a particula r time. Decision makers then use different kinds of statistical methods which are