Womens Right To Choose Abortion Essay Example For Students

Womens Right To Choose Abortion Essay Womens Right To Choose AbortionAbortion has been one of this countrys most controversial topic onhand. But if one sees the constitutional infringement to women by therestriction of abortion, the torment to the unwanted child and the anguishsociety has to sustain,then this topic would not be so debatable. Too manypeople do not see the cause and effect of not being able to have abortions. All human beings are given some inalienable right guaranteed by theConstitution. One of those privilege is the right to pursue happiness. Ababy can sometimes disrupt a womans pursuit of happiness. Even if shedecides to give it up for adoption, she still has the burden of carryingthe fetus for nine months. Having the option to perform an abortion cansolve that obstacle. Taking away this right would be invading on a womansconstitutional liberty. We will write a custom essay on Womens Right To Choose Abortion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The unwanted child also suffers. Most of the time the mother of theunwanted child is very young and inexperienced or too poor to take care ofthe child. The child is usually malnourished, has no medical care, andgets very little attention or love. The foster care system isnt anybetter. Only a small percentage of the children are adopted by suitableparents. But the rest remain in the foster care system, where there islittle or no personal care. In both cases, the child has a poor educationbecause of the lack of attention and discipline. He grows up to beunproductive individual or a menace to society. Many get involved in drugsand crimes. These individuals are also very violent, lacking morality duesmall amount of care they received themselves. In the long run, not onlydoes the child suffer but also society, who has to tolerate his violentbehavior and crimes. An abortion can be seen as putting the child out ofmisery while he doesnt have the ability to reason or fear. In short, abortion allows a woman to retain her constitutional rights,it relieves a would be suffering child out of his distress and itestablishes a safer and more peaceful society. On these grounds, abortionshould be kept legal, and even encouraged to specific individuals, forbenefits to all of us.

Facts and Figures About Seismosaurus

Facts and Figures About Seismosaurus Most paleontologists refer to Seismosaurus (pronounced SIZE-moe-SORE-us), the earthquake lizard, as a deprecated genusthat is, a dinosaur that was once thought to be unique, but has since been demonstrated to belong to an already existing genus. Size of the Seismosaurus Once considered among the biggest and most impressive of all dinosaurs, most experts now agree that the house-sized Seismosaurus was probably an unusually large species of the much better-known Diplodocus. Theres also a distinct possibility that Seismosaurus wasnt quite as big as once believed. Some researchers now say this late Jurassic sauropod weighed as little as 25 tons and was considerably shorter than its stated length of 120 feet, though not everyone agrees with these drastically scaled-down estimates. By this accounting, Seismosaurus was a mere runt compared to the gigantic titanosaurs that lived millions of years later, such as Argentinosaurus and Bruhathkayosaurus. Discovering the Seismosaurus Seismosaurus has an interesting taxonomic history. Its type fossil was discovered by a trio of hikers, in New Mexico in 1979, but it was only in 1985 that the paleontologist David Gillette embarked on a detailed study. In 1991, Gillette published a paper announcing Seismosaurus halli, which in a burst of reckless enthusiasm he said may have measured over 170 feet long from head to tail. This certainly generated impressive newspaper headlines, but one imagines it didnt do much for Gillettes reputation, as his fellow scientists re-checked the evidence and calculated much more petite proportions (in the process, of course, stripping Seismosaurus of its genus status). The (indisputably) extreme length of Seismosaurus neck- at 30 to 40 feet, it was much longer than the necks of most other sauropod genera, with the possible exception of the Asian Mamenchisaurus- raises an interesting question: could this dinosaurs heart possibly have been strong enough to pump blood all the way to the top of its head? This may seem like an arcane question, but it bears on the controversy of whether or not plant-eating dinosaurs, like their meat-eating cousins, were equipped with warm-blooded metabolisms. Its most likely that Seismosaurus held its neck roughly parallel to the ground, sweeping its head back and forth like the hose of a giant vacuum cleaner, rather than in the more taxing vertical position. Quick Facts Habitat: Woodlands of southern North AmericaHistorical Period: Late Jurassic (155-145 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 90 to 120 feet long and 25 to 50 tons.Diet:LeavesDistinguishing Characteristics: Enormous body; quadrupedal posture; long neck with relatively small head

An Overlook and Analysis of the Coca Cola Company Term Paper

An Overlook and Analysis of the Coca Cola Company - Term Paper Example As the paper outlines the company thus needs to analyze their internal environments for threats and opportunities in order to maintain their position in the ever dynamic competitive field. These different environments fall under the Pestle analysis that help the company managers to make macro decisions on policy changes. These include taxes, new laws, trade barriers and government policy changes among others. At the coca cola company economical challenges are posed by inflation due to economic crisis in most countries. The customer purchasing power is reducing to high oil and product prices. There is also a high rate of unemployment. Moreover, competition from other brands such as Pepsi is increasing. However, the company does not plan to cut down the price of their products. Socially, the lives of customers especially women is changing. Most of them are going out to work. It has resulted in the need for time management and the preference for healthier foods.   This study stresses that in the 1970s a subsidiary group in India wanted the company to share their secret formula under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. They declined and had to halt their operations for 16 years. The producers have been forced to provide exclusive territories to distributors. In addition, the European Commission alerted EU members to ban the sale of coca cola products due to a recent poisoning of 100 children in Belgium as a result of wrong use of carbon dioxide. In India, Protestants wanted the ban of coca cola claiming that the company was depleting ground water. There are also claims in India that coca cola possesses some amounts of pesticides that pose a risk to life. Hence, the need to ban it. The Coca Cola Company has a broad supply chain, which causes a great challenge in the development of tactical and strategic decisions. It is because of this that it faces strategic management issues globally. For instance, the same set of rules is not applied through out the company leading to an insufficient metric system for the company. As a result, there is a difference in simple things like the stock out and fill rate. These enhance the need for corporate level strategies as well as market and product development. Project management at the Coca Cola Company involves both logistics and procurement activities. Through purchasing and the involvement of ITC Infotech and consultation in SAP, there has been an improvement in supply chain management. Nonetheless, the company needs to find ways of investing in profits for future growth and earn more market shares and profits.  

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Research Paper Example Furthermore, the paper will also provide my own viewpoint regarding a positive relationship between the people of Middle East and the USA. After reading different course books, study material, and presentations on the topic I am glad to say that I have a complete different perspective regarding the Middle East. My pool of knowledge has increased through the videos I have watched and the news I have read as a part of the course. Initially, I did not have a clear understanding regarding the entire Middle East. I was familiar with only chief countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and U.A.E. etc., however, it was because of this course that I am able to understand the inside stories of various countries in Middle East, which I did not know. Moreover, it has also allowed me to observe things from a neutral perspective. The environment of Middle East is usually hot, dry, and humid. There are vast deserts in the region encompassing hundreds of kilometers. This does not let irrigation or agricu lture in most of the Middle Eastern countries. However, it came to my knowledge that regardless of this extreme dry weather, the region produces date palms and olives in large quantities. Both these commodities are the chief intake for many within the Middle East. Moreover, the oil reservoirs in the Arab countries surpass the oil reserves of any other region in the world1. This, however, is a bit frightening as various conflicts are present over the issue of oil reserves in the Middle East. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE, etc are all major exporters of oil to the international markets and member of OPEC2. It is through the export of oil to the rest of the world particularly the West that the countries are able to meet their economic needs. Sadly, the war, which started between America and some member countries of the Middle East, has given rise to various issues. The war led by America in the name of war against terrorism has killed as many as 1000,000 Iraqi s so far since 2003 and has also destroyed various cities and oil reserves of the region3. It is not appropriate for me at this stage to decide whether it is the war against terrorism or to conquer the extensive oil reserves. It was indeed sad for me to know that the conflict started after the issue of 9/11 in which thousands of US citizens along with others were killed. 5 Guantanamo detainees claimed the attack. They held themselves responsible for the attack saying that it was a response to the support of US for Israel4. The Middle Eastern particularly the Palestinians have suffered a lot because of the wars that are led by Israel. The Jews always had issues with the Muslims and so did the Muslims with Jews. This gave rise to various conflicts inside and outside the Middle East. Many did not appreciate the support of US for Israel. Islam is the major religion that is practiced in the Middle Eastern countries as per the guidelines given to them through the Quran. The Jews are consi dered as anti-Muslim element. They have always tried to lower the esteem of Muslims through different wars, conflicts and debates. In my perspective, this is huge cycle in which all issues are interconnected to each other in one way or another5. According to my critical thinking, the reason behind the rise of these issues is the conflict between Israel and

American Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

American Government - Essay Example The Supreme Court is the tribunal in the country for all case and controversies that may arise regarding the constitution and the laws of the state. The court promises the American people of equal justice under the law. The court performs the role of an interpreter and as the guardian of the constitution. The state’s position to get involved in matters of central decision-making, this position has been revoked by Jurists who argue that the court should not play umpire between federal and state governments, Congress does not threaten any state power; however, it helps in protecting the state. The Senate serves as an environment for the states to protect and express their interests. The American people are tired of a system, which seems ever constant with conflicts between the republicans and democrats. People say that the system is broken, and Washington does not represent the interest of the common American. These sentiments have left many citizens exasperated. They desire a system that does not force them to select between two fixed options, which do not represent their individual beliefs as citizens. The multiparty system is favored because it allows the participation of minor parties. The Electoral College has been in existence for 200 years. There are individuals who are critics, and they are opposed the Electoral College system. The critics have tried to propose reforms that will eliminate the college system. There are also other supporters who are less vocal when compared to the critics, but they offer powerful arguments in its favor.

Semantic Change Of The Word Gay

Semantic Change Of The Word Gay Language investigation into the ongoing semantic change of the word gay Introduction The meaning of the word â€Å"gay† has changed over time with its current; most commonly accepted use being to describe someone’s sexual orientation. This wasn’t always the case and at the moment is already changing to define something as being â€Å"rubbish or â€Å"unimpressive†. Such a big change as of this has led to me being interested into investigating the word and how over time specifically it has changed. The word gay also interests me language wise because of its importance in referring to someone’s sexuality, it provides a personal connection to some people’s lives as it describes them and who they are, so however the definition changes so will the effect to anyone who is gay. To investigate the semantic change I wanted to get the widest range of results for my investigation on the word gay. I went about choosing a wide range of people to give me the greatest range of views and opinions on the word and its definitions. To get this I asked elderly people who come from a generation where the word was completely different. I also asked people such as my parents who have come from another different generation and then finally today’s generation. I would aim to find a large difference between definitions between the elderly who would have grown up around the 1960s and any teenager I ask today who is currently in a completely different generation. Methodology Data collection: Going about my Investigation I decided the best way to get the most and best results was to produce a number of definitions and let the people who fill out the questionnaire pick one or two. I then would produce some follow up questions around the word ‘gay’ in a questionnaire style layout. I decided that a questionnaire style layout would best suit this investigation because it would be familiar with all the ages I am planning to ask to fill. Anything to complicated could potentially confuse an older person so the results wouldn’t be as reliable. For the first most important question I decided on using the four definitions used by the British Oxford Dictionary and found that gay has four meanings: (A) ‘light-hearted and carefree’ (B) ‘brightly coloured, showy’ (C) ‘homosexual, especially a man’ (D) ‘foolish, stupid or unimpressive’ Giving each of these definitions a letter I would ask the people I was giving my questionnaire to, to choose the letter they thought gay meant. I’d do this in the aim of testing one of the hypothesis that only older people will use gay with the first and second meanings, and only younger people will use gay with the fourth and fifth, most recent meanings. The earliest meaning is letter (B). Dictionaries usually give letter (D) as the most recent meaning. Analysis First Analysis As I expected the results from my questionnaires matched my hypothesis, that the older generation would answer giving the definition of the word gay as light-hearted or colourful where as the generation of today (15-21) defining it as something being rubbish or a homosexual man. Even with this result that the homosexual man definition is still in common use, more 15-21 year olds answered that it meant something being rubbish rather than a homosexual man. The new definition is starting to over shadow the older one. Surprisingly in my results some even went to say they used the word gay not even thinking about the older definition of a homosexual man. Therefore showing the semantic change of the word has changed so greatly that it’s other definitions are starting to be forgotten about and people are using the new definition almost unconsciously as this new definition becomes more common. Though my hypothesis was correct there were some abnormalities with two elderly people who f illed in my questionnaire saying they had picked up on the change of the word gay through their grandchildren and had stopped using it because of the possibilities that the word could offend someone. I also found that the elderly people who were grandparents that had completed my questionnaire talked about experiences where they had use the word to describe something and had been laughed at because of the different meanings that the Grandparents and Grandkids shared. When being asked if they commonly used the word gay, the younger generation used it extremely more with it almost being a day to day phase. The older generation were not the same with all but one of the people I asked not using it at all. Semantic Change Through back up questions I learnt that such semantic change was becoming more popular through the school; people see that if homosexuality has become more accepted into today’s society they have no need to put a label on homosexuality. Therefore the word gay is losing its original meaning and connection to the word homosexuality. School also plays another part in this because it is teenagers (school pupils) who have changed the meaning of the word gay, it was first seen as an insult. But the word has been so overused that it has lost its original meaning. In the majority of schools where pupils aged 15-18 and possibly even younger call each other gay it was here that the word gay was popularised with students first using it as an insult. Being gay was seen as being bad, so it picked up this derogative term but as time processed and the semantic change also, it transformed into having an overall meaning that something is stupid. An example of this would be that in my questionn aire I was given â€Å"school† as something which is gay. If we used the definition of a homosexual man this would make no sense but because of the semantic change this definition has completely changed meaning anything this person didn’t like could be gay. It is not just in school that the word gay had been used. Radio and television shows although rarely are using the word gay to define something which is lame or rubbish. One example is Chris Moyles, a former DJ on BBC Radio 1, he received complaints from listeners after he used the word gay to describe a ringtone that he didn‘t like. The BBC released a statement after the incident saying that the word gay may now mean rubbish.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- The BBC said that the DJ was just keeping up with developments in English usage. Chris Moyles show was one the most popular at the time, his and the BBC statement about the incident would have given many people a new way to define the word gay and the fact a DJ such as Chris Moyles could use it in this way would have led to many people using it also While finding out that gay meant something as being stupid through the eyes of 15-18 year olds, I asked these people whether or not they saw gay meaning this because of the fact that being gay has been seen as a bad thing for many years and is only now being understood and more regularly accepted. I wanted to see if at the beginning of ‘gay’ starting to change semantically, it took on a negative connotation since many opposed homosexuality especially in schools and whether or not this had an effect on the semantic change, almost trying to understand that if being gay was never seen as being bad would the word gay had even changed semantically at all? In conclusion into this secondary research I found that many people in the 15-18 year old category were honest and admitted that at the start the semantic change could have been put down to the fact it carried a derogatory meaning. But now is seen more as ‘play ground speak’ and the increase with this new meanin g is led by the youth culture with many 15-18 year olds using the word because others do and may not even have a bad view on gay people. This semantic change In which I questioned was also being devolved through media and social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook where some of the 15-18 year olds would commonly use the word gay to describe something being stupid, as with schools people copy what everyone else does and this is maximised with the huge number of young people who have social networking sites. Along with this my research found that films such as ‘The Hangover’ where the term gay is used as a joke by an actor. In this film it is used as an insult, this could promote the semantic change. As that film was hugely popular a lot of people saw the scene and saw the new definition in which this word was used. The scene and the words the actor used in this joke have been copied many times and just show how films have an effect on semantic change because of the huge influential value on society. Patterns in the Language The word gay like all words are not set elements of language and are changing all the time. The word gay has been put as starting from the 14th century, when the definition was â€Å"stately and beautiful splendid and showily dressed. Through the late 14thcentury, it changed to define â€Å"full of joy, merry, light-hearted, carefree† this meaning was one of the definitions I gave in my questionnaire and the one I found was mostly used by the older people who answered my questionnaire. During the 19th century the word gay came to describe a woman who was a prostitute or a man who slept with prostitutes. This definition is obviously not used at all today and shows how one word can change so much based whether or not people use it. In the 1920’s the first use of it for referring to a man who slept with another man came about and this use has stuck till today. Although the definition started then, it was not used commonly until the 1980’s when this definition over shadowed all others. Until 2006, the word gay was still defined as a homosexual male until the definition changed meaning something is stupid. As with my research, the new definition describes having nothing to do with the previous definition and perhaps no offence is intended when using it to describe something as rubbish. This trait in changing words is also seen in the word â€Å"sick† which is changing from defining as being ill to something being cool. These words that are changing are most commonly used by the youth culture, this shows the great power that the younger generations have over the English language and what a word means. It seems to be very rare that an older generation define what a word is defined as. Alongside my research I read into Emily Jelsomeno’s â€Å"Bitch,Nigger and Gay: Exclusive Language? The semantic shift of Pejorative Words and Reclamation† and this gave me the view that the pattern in which the word ‘gay’ changes grammatical category and is used seems to go from â€Å"positive to negative† and is now currently negative. With its newest meaning, something being stupid, it gives me the idea that this is a negative. With being able to see this shift, it enables me to make the assumption that there are at least three kinds of semantic change ‘gay’ has gone through. These being degeneration, elevation and taboo. With the degeneration I refer to gay becoming a word to describe something as being stupid, the most recent definition. It means gay is known as being negative. With elevation I refer to the improvement of the meaning. This improvement came from it meaning ‘men who had sex with other men’ to ‘homos exual males’. The second meaning is more favourable because it removes the element of sex from the definition. Sex between two males for some people is wrong and looked down upon strongly, whether it is for religious reasons or personal views. Removing the sex from the definition evaluates the word gay because it makes it more acceptable in some people’s eyes. It makes being homosexual not necessarily about having sex with someone of the same gender, but someone who is different from the norms of what being a male is. Lastly with the word gay I’d refer it to being a taboo for the term ‘homosexual male’ as the word ‘homosexual’ can still be considered a offensive term when referring to a gay man. Changes in Grammatical category Using my research and some background reading, I can come to the conclusion that gay has changed in grammatical categories. The first definition of the word â€Å"stately and beautiful splendid and showily dressed† would define gay as an adjective. During the 19th century, it shifted categories and became a noun; â€Å"a women who was a prostitute† and then acted at the same time as a verb. The phrase gay meant â€Å"to have sex†. Up to the 21st century gay was both an adjective (e.g. gay marriage) and a noun (i.e. gay being connected to being a homosexual). The most recent and latest category change makes gay an adjective once again by using it to insult something or someone, an example of this most recent category change from my investigation would be someone saying â€Å"you’re gay†. Conclusion Finishing up my investigation and concluding it I can see a quite clear semantic change of the word gay which answers my initial investigation question. Though I set out almost knowing what the answer was going to be, I was still surprised along the way with some of the information I gained from my investigation. I was not expecting the amount to which people use the word gay daily and how common it now is. Through my investigation I was pleasantly surprised how most (if not all the people I asked) actually used the word gay unconsciously with no thought in mind of offending anyone who is actually homosexual. With my evidence from the investigation I can make the conclusion that the amount that the word ‘gay’ is actually used has helped steer it away from being used to cause offence and this is obviously a positive sign. The only thing I would change about my investigation is that I would have given more open questions. This would mean the questionnaire would get into mo re depth about the people who were filling it in opinions, giving me more detailed results. Apart from that I feel my investigation was a success.  Ã‚   By taking part in this questionnaire you agree to this information being used for research purposes (Please tick if you agree) Please fill in this questionnaire: How old are you? 15-24 24-34 34-4444-54 54+ What does the word Gay mean to you? (A) ‘light-hearted and carefree’ (B) ‘brightly coloured, showy’ (C) ‘homosexual, especially a man’ (D) ‘foolish, stupid or unimpressive How would use ‘Gay’ in a sentence? Any other comments? Thank you for taking part Thank you for taking part Bibliography http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/words-literally-changed-meaning-through-2173079 17/04/2014 http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/brendanoneill2/100246515/gay-now-means-rubbish-get-over-it/ 17/04/2014 http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/how-gay-came-to-mean-homosexual/ 20/01/2014 Bitch, Nigger and Gay: Exclusive language? The semantic shift of pejorative words and reclamation -20/01/2014 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7289390.stm -21/01/2014

The Pearl by John Stienbeck Movie versus Novel Essay -- essays researc

In the novel The Pearl the author, John Steinbeck, writes about a man named Kino who finds a â€Å"Great Pearl† and how greed consumes him and the people around him with murderous feelings towards the beholder of the pearl. A movie was later adapted from the book in 1947 that exhibited many similar characteristics as the book. However, although the book and the movie are very much a like they are also quite different. In the novel, the main character, Kino, goes out to find a pearl in hopes of getting money to pay the doctor to treat Coyotito, his son, who has been bitten by a scorpion. Kino discovers the biggest pearl anyone has ever seen, and believes the pearl will bring nothing but good for him and his family. The pearl does change the lives of Kino, his wife Juana, and Coyotito, but not in the way he had hoped. When the people in La Paz find out about Kino’s pearl, he is visited by a greedy priest and doctor, the deceitful pearl buyers try to scam him into selling it to them for less than it’s worth, and the pearl was almost stolen twice. Kino kills the second thief in self-defense...

Effective Contract Management Essay

Sarah states that good contract management is to prevent the high cost of the contract penalty clause, should dictate each move made with a contracted entity. Part of effective contract management is developing comprehensive training programs that inform employees of the benefits of following the terms of the contract. For example, purchasing employees at Sarah’s company are informed of the various ways that an agreement with a vendor can benefit the company to save money. Without this reporting, the two sides have no way of monitoring the benefits of the agreement and developing any changes to make when the agreement comes up for renewal. Effective reporting also keeps track quantities that help both sides monitor their usage and determine when contract limits may have been met. Sarah’s company relies on contracts with suppliers to keep her business running efficiently. Shippers, vendors, and financial institutions etc. all require a high level of contract management t o maintain efficient relationships with all of them. Understanding the effect of a good contract administration is essential in business making decisions that would maximize revenues and minimize risks. A contract is drawn up to create the guidelines for a business relationship. When parties abide by the terms of a contract, the company gains from the benefits that it has to offer. But poor contract administration can cause businesses to violate terms of the contract, which can lead to penalties, fines and a potential lawsuit. Good contract management is to prevent the high cost of the contract penalty clause, should dictate each move made with a contracted entity. Part of effective contract management is developing comprehensive training programs that inform employees of the benefits of following the terms of the contract. For example, in my company the purchasing people are informed of the various ways that an agreement with a vendor can benefit the company and how it will save the company money. Without this reporting, the two sides have no way of monitoring the benefits of the agreement and developing any changes to make when the agreement comes up for renewal. Effective reporti ng also keeps track of quantities that help each side monitor their usage and determine when contract limits may have been met.

The New Enhanced ACT Writing Test (2016) Complete Guide

The New Enhanced ACT Writing Test (2016) Complete Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Did you know that the ACT Writing Test changed dramatically in Fall 2015? You might not, because people haven't talked about it much, but it changed the ACT and possibly standardized testing in general. It's scored based on all of the old ACT's criteria, but also on a number of new concepts. We've written the most comprehensive guide available on the new ACT Writing section. Keep reading to find out how you can prepare for and ace this new test. Because there's a lot to cover, we've divided this article into 3 sections, each exploring a major change in the new ACT Writing assignment: Part 1: Expanded Prompts Part 2: More Open-Ended Assignment Part 3: Redesigned Scoring Criteria Before we dive into this, it's useful to understand why they're changing the ACT Essay section, because this will help you write a better essay. Why Is the Writing Section Changing? One of colleges' biggest complaints about high school graduates is that their writing isn't academic or complex enough. Because the ACT is trying to position itself not only as a college entrance exam but also as a state-mandated graduation benchmark, it's always trying to stay relevant to the modern education system, and the Enhanced ACT Writing Test is a big part of that. ACT, Inc. gives a number of reasons for the changes to the essay assignment. The simplest explanation they give is that it "will allow students to more fully demonstrate their analytical writing ability." Edward R. Colby, a spokesman for ACT, has also commented on the increased complexity of the Enhanced ACT Writing assignment: â€Å"It won’t be ‘this side or that side,’† Mr. Colby said. â€Å"The question will ask students for multiple perspectives and support. It will be a more-complex prompt than what we’re delivering now.† But the real motivations behind the redesigned ACT Writing test are related to broader changes in education. Until recently, each state decided what to teach its students, and many students were graduating from high school totally unprepared for college. So in 2010, the National Governors Association released the Common Core standards in English and math. Forty-four of the fifty U.S. states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The Grades 11-12 Common Core Writing Standards include references to three very specific types of writing: "Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence." "Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content." "Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences." As you'll be able to see in the scoring criteria later in the article, these three modes of writing correlate directly to the newly-added columns of writing modes in the ACT's new Writing Competencies Model. Will the Enhanced ACT Writing Test Matter More to Colleges? We don't yet know whether these changes will make the writing test more relevant to colleges, most of which don't require applicants to submit writing scores. But some of those colleges are big, and over 50 percent of high-school seniors are still writing essays when they take the ACT. Ultimately, colleges won't change their policies until the 2015 new ACT Writing test has been administered a few times, to see what the scores end up reflecting. For example, the old ACT essay is generally considered to be a somewhat skewed measure of students' writing ability. It can't test, as the Enhanced ACT Essay claims to, "insight/deeper understanding through thoughtful consideration." The closest it comes to testing "insight" is whether the examples logically support the point being made. It appears, though, that the new version is trying to capture more of the depth and meaning of an essay than has been attempted by standardized tests so far. PART I: Expanded Prompts While ACT, Inc. has only released a few sample prompts for the Enhanced ACT Writing section, we can learn a lot from them. The prompts are longer, more complicated, and cover a broader range of topics than the old prompts did. The topic of the old prompts mostly covered high school and education. They gave a paragraph on the topic and asked only that you "take a position" and support it. Old Prompt Style and Topic Here's the old style of prompt (this is all of it): Rather than concentrating on doing one thing at a time, high school students often divide their attention among several activities, such as watching television and using the computer while doing homework. Some educators believe multitasking is a bad practice when doing homework because they think dividing attention between multiple tasks negatively affects the quality of students' work. Other educators do not believe multitasking is a bad practice when doing homework because they think students accomplish more during their limited free time as a result of multitasking. In your opinion, is it too distracting for high school students to divide their attention among several activities when they are doing homework? In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position. As we discuss in our blog post about current ACT Writing prompts, and as is reflected in the prompt above, the old ACT prompts were all about topics related to high schoolers and high school education. And as you'll read next, that is no longer true with the introduction of the Enhanced ACT Writing Test. New Prompt Style and Topics The redesigned ACT Writing prompts are much more complex. They start with a passage about the same length as the old one, shown below. Notice that the prompt does not ask a specific question about the information. The prompt topic below, about the mechanization of the workforce, is a broad and often controversial issue in modern society. As you can see, it has nothing to do with high school or education. Note: in the prompt below, released by the ACT, the emphasis (in italics) of certain key phrases has been added by the editor. Intelligent Machines Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives. Since this is one of five prompts the ACT has released, we don't know anything about the range of topics they'll be covering. But we can draw some basic conclusions about their scope and structure. The Anatomy of the New ACT Writing Prompt Let's break down the new prompt, sentence by sentence. Sentence 1: General statement about "intelligent, automated machines" providing "goods and services" Sentences 2-4: Three specific examples of robots replacing human workers Sentence 5: Core question, "what is lost when we replace humans with machines?" Sentence 6: Instruction, "[Examine] the implications and meaning of [intelligent machines'] presence in our lives." As you can see, the instruction in Sentence 6 is phrased somewhat abstractly- it just says the topic is "worth examining." But since this is an essay prompt, we know that that sentence is actually telling us what it wants us to do. But that's not all! Added Perspectives, a.k.a. Points of View In addition to the large text prompt above, the Enhanced ACT Writing test gives you three different perspectives on the issue in thepassage: Perspective One What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people. Perspective Two Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone. Perspective Three Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities. Let's simplify the three perspectives: 1) Mechanization is related to and a symbol of perceived modern cultural disintegration (It's bad). 2) The efficiency of mechanization can only benefit humanity (It's good because it's efficient). 3) Mechanization is good because it tests our ideas about humanity (It's good because it challenges us). There's no way to know what the perspectives will be on future redesigned ACT Writing prompts, but it's safe to say that at least one will be positive and at least one will be negative. We'll explain what you're supposed to do with these perspectives below. PART II: More Open-Ended Assignment After the ACT presents you with this heap of information, it finally gives some specific instructions on what it wants you to do. Revised Expanded Instructions and Hints Here's the new 2015 ACT Writing Essay Task. It's safe to assume that this will be the same in every subsequent ACT Writing test. Essay Task Write a unified, coherent essay about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to: clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective develop and support your ideas with reasoning and examples organize your ideas clearly and logically communicate your ideas effectively in standard written English Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. There are a few new important things to note here: you now must not only choose a perspective on the issue (which, to make your life easier, should be one of those given), but also must discuss the relationship between the perspective you choose and at least one of the others. This is significantly more challenging than the amount of analysis you were expected to do in the old ACT Writing test. We'll get more deeply into this in a moment. New: Focus on Planning But wait! There's more! On a second page, the Enhanced ACT Writing Test gives space for planning your essay, and reminders of some things to consider including: Planning Your Essay Your work on these prewriting pages will not be scored. Use the space below and on the back cover to generate ideas and plan your essay. You may wish to consider the following as you think critically about the task: Strengths and weaknesses of the three given perspectives What insights do they offer, and what do they fail to consider? Why might they be persuasive to others, or why might they fail to persuade? Your own knowledge experience and values What is your perspective on this issue, and what are its strengths and weaknesses? How will you support your perspective in your essay? You can see, given the instructions, that there are a lot of elements to consider. It's a lot more open-ended than the old ACT essay. How Has the Assignment Changed? In the old ACT essay, you had 2 jobs: take a position on the topic (and defend it), and address (and disqualify) the opposing perspective to your own. In the Enhanced ACT Writing, you have still have 2 analytical jobs, but the specifics of the jobs have changed. You still have to take a position on the topic (and defend it), but,and this is the most novel part, you also have to discuss the relationship between the perspectives. The ACT gives you space in the essay booklet that's specifically for planning (to emphasize that planning is CRUCIAL to the assignment) and contains ideas for brainstorming support. Unfortunately, the ideas they give are a bit obtuse. Let's translate them into simpler wording: "What insights do they offer, and what do they fail to consider?" = how is each perspective right and wrong? "Why might they be persuasive to others, and how might they fail to persuade?" = why would people agree or disagree with each perspective? "What is your perspective on the issue, and what are its strengths and weaknesses?" = think about the perspective you choose and make sure it's easy to support (which, hopefully, you'd do automatically) "How will you support your perspective?" = the same thing you had to do on the old ACT essay: think of reasons and examples that show the validity of your argument PART III: Redesigned Scoring Criteria The old ACT Writing score criteria were in paragraph form, by score, and not broken down into categories. Let's take a look. The Old ACT Essay Scoring Criteria Score = 6 Essays within this score range demonstrate effective skill in responding to the task. The essay shows a clear understanding of the task. The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a critical context for discussion. The essay addresses complexity by examining different perspectives on the issue, or by evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by fully responding to counterarguments to the writer's position. Development of ideas is ample, specific, and logical. Most ideas are fully elaborated. A clear focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained. The organization of the essay is clear: the organization may be somewhat predictable or it may grow from the writer's purpose. Ideas are logically sequenced. Most transitions reflect the writer's logic and are usually integrated into the essay. The introduction and conclusion are effective, clear, and well developed. The essay shows a good command of language. Sentences are varied and word choice is varied and precise. There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader. By contrast, the ACT's new "writing competencies model" looks really complicated, but much of it is the same as the old ACT essay requirements. The major categories are still the same- "generate ideas" is the same as "takes a position and supports it" and so on. Let's look at each section; the items in blue boxes are the newly-introduced elements. However, it's not 100% accurate to say that all of these are newly introduced. After the new criteria, we break down what's actually new and how it fits into the simpler, older scoring model. The Redesigned 2015 ACT Essay Scoring Criteria Generate Ideas Develop Ideas Sustain Ideas Organize Ideas Communicate Ideas There's a lot to digest here, so we've created a condensed version of the old ACT scoring criteria on the left and the new additions from the blue boxes above on the right. Old ACT Writing, Score of 6 New ACT Skill Name Enhanced ACT Writing adds... The essay takes a position on the issue and may offer a critical context for discussion. The essay addresses complexity by examining different perspectives on the issue, or by evaluating the implications and/or complications of the issue, or by fully responding to counterarguments to the writer's position. Generate ideas (Judgment, Analysis, Narration and Reflection) multiple perspectives articulate insight/depth of understanding situated perspectives (context) Development of ideas is ample, specific, and logical. Most ideas are fully elaborated. Develop Ideas (Develop a Position, Support an Explanation, Give an Account) appeals to emotion/feeling identify and explore relevant underlying assumptions, ideas, or values arrive at insight/deeper understanding through thoughtful consideration A clear focus on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained. Sustain ideas (Focus) Nothing New The organization of the essay is clear: the organization may be somewhat predictable or it may grow from the writer's purpose. Ideas are logically sequenced. Most transitions reflect the writer's logic and are usually integrated into the essay. The introduction and conclusion are effective, clear, and well developed. Organize ideas (Organization) Sequence narrative elements effectively The essay shows a good command of language. Sentences are varied and word choice is varied and precise. There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader. Communicate Ideas (Language Use) Use appropriate voice and tone Use narrative techniques Use descriptive vocabulary Why Are There 3 Columns of Criteria? The old ACT was entirely focused, in its instructions and scoring, on the Persuasive/Argumentative mode of writing. You were supposed to analyze the topic thoughtfully, which is part of the Analytical Expository mode, and you were encouraged to use examples, which requires the Reflective Narrative mode. But only the goals of the Persuasive/Argumentative mode were meant to count toward your score. Like many recent education changes, redesigned ACT Writing scoring is purposely in line with the Common Core state standards, which are meant to improve the U.S.'s competency in relation to the education systems of other countries, and to make sure all students graduate college-ready. These standards are considered more difficult than previous public school standards, and the changes are somewhat controversial in some circles. In any case, the ACT is now including this more complex (and accurate) view of writing competency in their new essay format. Let's get more in depth with these two new modes of writing. Analytical Expository Mode You've probably written plenty of expository papers for high school, but the redesigned ACT Writingis focusing more on the Analytical part of the description. While the old ACT essay (and the SAT essay) scored only the persuasive elements of the essay- whether your arguments logically supported your point- the new scoring system is meant to reward INSIGHT. This is actually a huge revelation for standardized testing, and is not something that can be scored by a computer. Reflective Narrative Mode Really, this could just be called Storytelling. It's supposed to cover any specific examples or personal stories you choose to use to support your thesis. It's the least important of the three modes, both in the ACT essay and in academic writing. We don't need to worry much about these criteria- just give your examples clearly, and try to include all the relevant details. In scoring essays at PrepScholar, we don't find that this is a common problem for students. Which ACT Writing Test Should I Take? Most people will probably tell you that the old ACT Writing test was easier than the Enhanced ACT Writing test, and that you should definitely choose it over the new test if you have a choice. But it's a bit more complicated than that: it may be more accurate to say that the old test is more formulaic, scoring only for logical structure rather than actual insight or ability to analyze multiple viewpoints. If you're the kind of student who writes great essays for English class, or who loves writing well, the redesigned ACT Writing test may be for you. It will take into account analytical skills that aren't part of the old essay, so if you write a really insightful essay for the old test, you won't be rewarded for it. On the redesigned ACT Writing test, you will. Personally, I've always been the kind of person who hates writing to a formula and who wants all my writing to be interesting and insightful. For that reason, I'd choose the new test. How Can I Study for the New ACT Writing Test? Well, since we only have a few prompts, we don't know yet what specific topics you should read up on. But we do know you'll be asked to write about multiple perspectives on common cultural debates, such as nuclear power or government-subsidized health insurance. So you can google "debate topics," choose a few that are appropriate for high schoolers, and prepare your own prompts: just find three different perspectives on the issue, and then use them to perform the Essay Task above. The ACT may be releasing more information before the redesigned Writing test is administered, so stay tuned to the PrepScholar blog to keep yourself in the know! What's Next? If you're researching this topic, you're probably looking to score a pretty high score. Read our guide to how to get a perfect ACT score, written by our 36 ACT scorer. Also, read our guide on how to get a perfect 12 on the ACT Writing section. What's a good ACT score for you? Find out how to get your ACT target score, step by step. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Makah Indians essays

Makah Indians essays The Makah Indians were a predominantly fishing society. This was quite obvious because most of their artifacts were oriented toward the sea and the land around. Various artifacts were bordered with carving of fish or whale. A few were made from whalebone, and others made from different kind of wood and fiber. Although anyone can see that the Makahs had a lot of pride in presenting their relationship with the ocean, it was not their only means of subsistence. Numerous artifacts such as their canoe were made out of wood, which suggests that the forest they lived in or around were heavily depended upon. They are not limited to the natural resources of the rivers, lakes, tidelands, and ocean areas. While the water provided a main source for food and transportation, Makah forests provide many types of wood for carvers, many species of land animals for hunters, and a wide variety of plants that can be used for food, medicine, or raw materials. Most of the artifacts recovered were from the early nineteenth century, which suggests the Makahs had lived and existed well beyond that era. Their subsistence technologies presented in the museum revolved around the sea. Especially in a case that holds exclusively fishing supplies such as fishhooks, nets, traps, boats and paddles. In it were canoes of different tribes, of which one of them belonged to the Makah Indians. The size of it was reduced yet big enough so the details were visible. The canoe was made out of cedar and it was from the 1900s. The craft was dugout from a single cedar tree. The canoe itself didnt have any carving or embroideries, but it was the shape of it that makes it unique. The front end of the canoe had a head shaped like a bird; maybe it was some kind of divine creature that they revered. Since their prey was a whale, one would expect the actual size of the canoe to be no less than the size of gray whale. In addition, it would be in favor of the hu...

Assess how national culture impacts on the international business Essay

Assess how national culture impacts on the international business environment, giving examples - Essay Example Trans-national companies like Sony, General Motors, carry a distinct identity of the culture they first operated in despite now having worldwide operations. Quite simply speaking the culture is studied as synonym of culture. We often come across terms like the Japanese culture, the British culture, the Australian culture, or Russian culture. The countries, like Canada, US, UK, and India with many different racial, religious, or regional cultures are called multi-cultural countries. Yet many countries located in a specific geographical area can be bound by the thread of a common culture. For example, the Caribbean countries like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua can be referred to as having a common culture. It is very important to describe the word ‘culture’ as it is construed in the context of business management. Some of the definitions offer interesting insights into the importance; the ‘national culture’ has for business leaders, professionals, management gurus and academics. Culture is variously defined (cited by Fougere, 2007) as ‘that complex whole, which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society (Tylor); the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the members of one human group of another (Hofstede); a system of values and norms that are shared among a group of people and that when taken together constitute a design for living (Hill). Thus culture is defined as summation of beliefs and capabilities (Tylor), a collective programming of mind (Hofstede) and a plan for life (Hill) (Cited by Fougere, 2007). The cultural norms thus embodied in the collective consc iousness of a people are adopted in daily life in a matter of fact way. These come to be reflected in the work ethos of the business entities. Howsoever, different definitions culture are, there is unanimity of opinion in

Was The Black Panther Party a successful force for change during the Essay

Was The Black Panther Party a successful force for change during the civil rights years - Essay Example its aims and policies (Wikipedia.org), rejecting armed resistance and instead focusing on tackling matters relating to social, economic and political inequality not only of African Americans, but also other minority groups in the country. The BPP efforts, however, were not only unappreciated, but also vehemently opposed by the government, Federal Bureau of Investigation {FBI} and the police, resulting in its unfortunate and untimely demise after a promising span of just 14 years. While it lasted, the BPP undoubtedly represented a successful force for change during the civil rights years. The general situation refers to the circumstances prevailing in the country since the Civil War ended. The War, hailed as the destroyer of slavery of blacks after having suffered years of oppression, did not in fact result in the anticipated assimilation of blacks into American mainstream society. Oppression of blacks continued in the form of Ku Klux Klan atrocities, widespread lynching of blacks and the de facto refusal to grant them all civil rights. Blacks responded by non-violent means, forming representative organizations to put forward their protests. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People {NAACP} was created to foster assimilation of blacks into mainstream American society. The Universal Negro Improvement Association {UNIA} headed by Marcus Garvey was established to foster independence of blacks. Not only did these associations prove ineffective, the response of white Americans – violent, suppressive and unbending – showed no signs of com promise. Blacks continued to live in oppression in the United States (Blackpanther.org). The specific situation followed the groundbreaking Civil Rights Act that the United States Congress enacted in 1964. It prohibited racial discrimination in public facilities. The Act was the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement spearheaded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – a struggle that involved nonviolent blacks being